A Potions Accident
by Arualcopia
Summary: A slight twist to the usual deaging stories. What if the accident created a gas? What if it effected the entire class? How does Snape deal with fifteen toddlers?
1. A Potions Accident

A Potions Accident

xxxxxx

Severus Snape stood at the front of his classroom, looking over his sixth year students. Only five of the students present had received a high enough score on their OWLs to pass his heightened standards. But Dumbledore, in his infinite wisdom, had ordered Snape to give all the students a two-week probationary period. If they were able to prove themselves, then they should be allowed into the class. No matter how much the Potions Master fought against it, he was stuck; the headmaster wouldn't relent. _Now I have to suffer for their stupidity. _A flick of his wand sent instructions to the board. Instantly, the class got to work.

He stalked up and down the rows of desks, watching like a hawk. One slip up, some simple mistake, could prove to be disastrous—fatal. Sixth-year potions were no joke. And other faculty had the gall to say he was too strict. He'd like to see one of them control a classroom filled with rivalSlytherins and Gryffindors, knives in hand as they prepared ingredients. Not to mention this class was blessed with none other than Neville Longbottom. A disaster all to himself, _how did they expect the boy to survive the two weeks?_

Today, they were preparing a simple sleeping draught. Not that any of the students would categorize it as _simple_. He tried to make it easy for them. The instructions were clear. He even measured the exact amount of powdered Augurey Wings. Well, that was more for his benefit than the student's. Too much of it would create a plume of smoke—he didn't want to think about that. So, he made things simple; no one could possibly mess this up.

And then he heard it—the two most deadly words in a potions classroom, uttered out of Longbottom's mouth no less. "Uh oh."

Instantly, Snape had his wand raised, but he was too far away, practically on the opposite side of the room. He rushed over, but the world seemed to slow.

"Oh, that's okay," Seamus responded. "Here, you can have the rest of mine." He handed over a small vial of white powder.

_Some left over?_ Snape thought critically. _The instructions say one vial. One vial of Powdered Augurey Wings. How in the world can you have some left?_

"Thanks," Neville replied, uncorking the vial and holding it precariously over his cauldron.

"Longbottom stop," Snape shouted.

Startled, the boy dropped the glass and all it's contents into the bubbling potion. _Stupid boy_. The results were instantaneous. Snape barely had enough time to spell the room's ventilation system into action. It would not be fast enough—he knew that.

Clapping the sleeve of his robe over his mouth, he dropped to the floor and held his breath. _No, no, no… this is not happening._ After a while, his lungs burned, begging him to take a breath. He rolled over to his back and glanced upwards, checking for any lingering puff of smoke. Satisfied, he took a tentative breath through the cloth of his sleeve. _Now to survey the damage…_

He stood up and examined his silent classroom. At first, it looked empty. If only that could be the case. A startled cry filled the room. _Oh Merlin, kill me now_. And then, the crying spread, like an infection. He could see them now, struggling to stand in their now overly sized clothes.

Toddlers. They were all toddlers.

He stood there dumfounded for a moment—not a usual occurrence for the ever-calm Potions Master. A little blonde boy walked over to him, tripping over his shirt. All he could do was stare at his godson. _What have I done?_

"Up," Draco commanded as he held out his little arms. Immediately, Snape obeyed. The little boy laid his head down on the man's shoulder. Snape knew Draco was scared and confused. It was obvious the boy had no recollection of his former self. He was two, now.

"Oh, Merlin," the Potions Master groaned.

Suddenly, Snape was snapped back into reality. He shot into action. He ran over to the floo, tossed in the powder and said the password. The connection had been set up for situations just like this. If ever there was a serious accident, the floo would open up to the Hospital Wing. Snape had never needed it before, but now he was thankful it was there.

"Pomfrey!" he shouted as he leaned through with his godson.

Thankfully, the witch didn't waste any time scolding him for his rude behavior. She walked over to her Floo and took the baby from Snape's outstretched arms. The boy tried to stay with Snape and cried once it was obvious his efforts were futile.

"Oh, my," was all Pomfrey managed to say.

"There's more," Snape replied before he returned to his classroom.

The scene he was faced with would most likely haunt his dreams for the rest of his life. Some of the students were still crying. But most had gotten over their shock and were now a bit curious—so many strange things to see. A few got tired of being hindered by the overly large robes and stripped.

One such student—red hair, unmistakably Ronald Weasley—found his new position quite liberating. He climbed his way to the top of Snape's desk and was now dancing around. Seamus was soon to follow.

Worse than that, a pump toddler—probably Crabbe, or maybe Goyle—was now taste testing the minced newt eyes. _Merlin, how did they ever make it into sixth-year potions?_

And then Snape did the only thing he could think of. "_Immobulus_," he shouted. Again silence filled the room, as each student was frozen into his or her position. Quickly, Snape grabbed students two at a time. He all but tossed them through the Floo and went back to get more.

"How many do you have?" Snape asked when he figured he had got them all.

After a moment of counting, Madame Pomfrey replied, "Thirteen."

Snape groaned; that meant there were two that remained. _Now where did they go_?

Returning to his classroom, he surveyed the room. "_Finite_," he said and waited for some movement. And then he saw it, a bit of bushy hair bobbing up and down behind one of the desks. He rounded the desk to find a little girl.

"Stranger," she said pointing up at the man.

_Definitely Hermione Granger_. Snape scooped up the little girl and passed her through the Floo.

_One left. Now where is it?_ He looked over the room. Wherever it was, it wasn't moving. "Where are you?" Snape asked. For a moment, he actually thought he might get a response. There was none, and now he was getting concerned. _What if the child had a bad reaction?_ This thought drove the man to his hands and knees. He crawled around, looking under the desks for the final child.

And then he found it—or him, rather. Huge green eyes stared back at him, unblinking. Snape faltered under the toddler's gaze. The boy's look was so intense, boring into his soul. For a moment, Snape thought that Potter was still under the _immobulus_, he was so still. But then, finally, he blinked.

Without further thought, Snape grabbed the final toddler and stepped through the Floo. He was met with utter chaos.

As it turned out, the Medical Wing was just about as interesting as the potions classroom. Several students, lead by the still naked Ron, were running around screaming in a dreadfully shrill tone. Others stood there bawling their eyes out. Meanwhile, Madame Pomfrey was busy trying to capture a boy, who was currently using an injured sixth-year as a trampoline.

Depositing Harry on the ground, Snape slowly made his way through the toddlers. In the shock of the moment, he forgot about the Floo, and looked to the door for escape. Spotting Neville, he awarded the boy a vicious glare, causing the toddler to wet himself. With a snort, Snape continued his retreat; _I've done my part… time to go_. He nearly made it to the door before Madame Pomfrey stopped him dead in his tracks.

"Severus Snape!" the woman shouted. He couldn't help but feel like a schoolboy. Turning around, Snape faced the livid mediwitch. "Don't you dare leave me with these children. I need your help."

Snape eyed the children warily. _What in Merlin's name do you want me to do?_

Again, his godson found him. Holding up his little arms, Draco commanded, "Up."

"I'll take this one," Snape replied, as his scooped up the boy. He walked to the door, but was thwarted once more by the entrance of Headmaster Dumbledore. Snape opened his mouth to speak, but only garbled sounds came out. Even his cheeks became flushed, a rare occurrence for the Potions Master. _I have stood before the most feared wizard of our time and yet I quake before Dumbledore? And I no longer a boy!_

"Hello, my boy," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling over his half moon spectacles. "So, there's been an accident in Potions?"

"Yes," Snape through a clinched jaw. _Did he need to restate the obvious? I've done my part, dropped off the brats…Now it's time to go_. The Headmaster stared back at him—he looked… amused. Snape twisted his face into his deadliest scowl, but it had no affect.

Dumbledore stepped into the room and upon seeing the chaos, he smiled—a cunning and calculating smile This irritated Snape even further. He contemplated slipping out of the room quietly.

"How long will the effects last?" Dumbledore asked.

"No longer than twelve hours," Snape replied in a dignified voice. "No need for me to linger. I have a classroom to clean."

The younger professor turned to leave, but was held back by a mere hand gesture. "Poppy," Dumbledore called. The mediwitch, looking flushed, stepped over to join them. "How are the students?"

"They seem healthy," she reported, "but I don't know how long that will last, with the children running around like this."

"How to care for the children?" Dumbledore mused. "Any suggestions?"

"Send them home," Snape supplied.

"By the time we contact all the parents, the potion will have worn off," Dumbledore replied.

"The children need to be clothed, fed, and put to bed," said Poppy.

Snape tuned the two wizards out as they discussed exactly how to care for fifteen toddlers. Occasionally, he would interject his own suggestions. "A Calming Draught?" "_Immobulous_?" "Hand them off to seventh years?" But each one was met by Poppy's stern glare, and eventually Snape kept his mouth shut.

xxxxx

Twenty minutes later, Snape had no idea how he had ended up with a rather squirmy Theodore Nott. Losing his patience, he tried to carefully stuff the stray arm back into the sleeve, before the other one escaped.

By now, most of the kids had calmed down, sitting around "Papa Albus" as they listened intently to his exciting stories. Draco never left Snape's side, clinging to the Potions Master's leg like it was a lifeline.

McGonagall had showed up, instantly noticing Draco attached to the glowering man's leg. Her face lit up with a chipper, all too grandmotherly look. This further irritated Snape as he struggled to button up Nott's robe.

Draco wasn't the only clingy boy. Neville, with red puffy eyes, had a death grip around Madame Pomfrey's neck. She was stuck now, unlikely to be able to put the boy down. _Death by Neville_, Snape inwardly laughed.

Done with Nott, Snape let the boy escape and looked around for another Slytherin. He was satisfied to notice all the students were cared for, and was ready to make his own escape. That was until he noticed Potter. The idiot boy was still sitting near the Floo, where Snape had deposited him earlier.

Muttering to himself about spoiled brats and arrogant Potters, he made his way over to the boy—all the while Draco trailed with a firm grip on his robes. Snape resentfully snatched the boy up off the floor and brought him back over to the hospital bed turned changing table.

Without removing the boy's oversized shirt, Snape slipped on one of the training nappies. He had no desire to see more than necessary, although it would be rather embarrassing for the boy. Next he took off the huge shirt and reached for another toddler-sized robe.

Stopping dead in his tracks, Snape barely held back his instinct to gasp. The boy's ribs were clearly visible. The structure of the collarbones way too pronounced. He poked at the toddler's tummy, _is he sick?_

"Pomfrey," Snape called. "You have to look at this."

She quickly made her way over, depositing Neville with McGonagall on her way over—the boy seemed reluctant to be anywhere near Snape.

"Something's wrong with the boy," Snape said when the woman got close enough.

Pomfrey didn't emotionally react to the boy's condition; instead she took out her wand and started to examine him. Cold, Harry started to shiver and wrapped his skinny arms around his small body. But otherwise he stayed quite still and he didn't whine or complain.

"He's malnourished," Pomfrey announced.

"Pardon?" Snape asked. Snape heard the nurse perfectly well; it was just too hard to believe—there had to be something wrong with the boy.

"He's starved, Severus," Pomfrey snapped. "There's no other explanation for his condition. Can you give him a Nutrient Potion? I need to talk to Albus."

Snape felt a bit sorry for the Headmaster; he could only imagine the lecture he was receiving now. He looked down at the skinny boy before him; he couldn't stand the sight of protruding bones any longer. With great care, Snape dressed Harry in the robe; worried he might break something.

"Stay," he commanded, leaving the boy to retrieve the Nutrient Potion. Not really expecting the boy to stay, he figured he could catch him again later—after all, they were all trapped in the Hospital Wing. He left, fumbling around in one of the potion cabinets, frustrated by the woman's lack of organization. Returning minutes later, he was surprised to find Harry now sitting exactly where he left him.

"Here," he handed Harry the cup. The boy took it, but stared at him blankly. "Drink," Snape prompted. Still Harry didn't move. _Insufferable, insolent Potter. _Not the most eloquent of caregivers, Snape snapped, "Drink it boy, or I'll shove it down your throat." Quickly Harry obeyed, leaving Snape feeling a bit guilty—not that he'd admit it.

Picking the toddler up, Snape put him back on the floor and said, "Shoo." For a moment, he wondered if the miniature Gryffindor could even walk. But suddenly the little feet started moving, taking the boy exactly ten paces away, where he sat back down. _Lazy little…_

"Up," Draco commanded. With a sigh, Snape complied.

xxxxx

On several occasions, Snape attempted to slip out of the hospital wing unnoticed. However, McGonagall, Pomfrey, and Dumbledore were all watching him like hawks, swooping in and asking for favors, until the hour drew threateningly close to dinnertime. It was at about this hour that Snape found himself begging for a summons unlike he ever had before. He didn't enjoy killing, not anymore, but at this moment…

In the middle of the room, after carefully clearing it of children, a table popped into view. It was an exact toddler sized replica of a table from the Great Hall, complete with two long benches. Fifteen places were set, with cups, plates and silverware. Ron was the first to sit down and had a fork in hand instantly thereafter. _At lease he knows what a table is for._ Several other students followed, while others used the distraction as a time to explore.

After placing his Godson down at the table, Snape quickly grabbed Pansy Parkinson out of a supply cupboard. She didn't come out without a little souvenir, clasping tightly to the bedpan as if it were the most prized of possessions. Snape tried to take it away gently, but the girl held tight.

"Mine!" she shouted.

"No!" Snape yelled back.

Pansy wouldn't be frightened. Instead she screamed louder, "MINE!"

Feeling pleased with himself, Snape managed to pry the bedpan out of the girl's fingers. He took one step before the wailing began. Pansy threw her body back and cried. Flailing her arms and kicking her legs, she continued to bawl.

"Here," McGonagall said holding out her arms, "Let me help you." The girl quickly flung herself into the woman's arms, leaving a dumb struck Snape behind. "There, there," she soothed, patting the girl on the back. "What happened?"

Mumbling incoherently into McGonagall's ear, Pansy raised an accusing finger in Snape's direction. Looking up from the child, the Deputy Headmistress sent him the most strict of glares. After an involuntary step backwards, Snape remembered he was no longer a student.

"She… she," Snape didn't know how to defend himself, or even why he felt the need. "She's a Slytherin!"

"Up," Draco commanded. Again the little boy had made his way to his godfather.

Picking the toddler up, he carried him back to the table. "Draco, it's time for dinner. You need to sit down and wait." The gray eyes looked back at him, full of confusion, but he stayed at the table.

The adults continued bringing children to the table. Twenty minutes later—it was a difficult task, the kids kept getting up and wandering away—four exhausted wizards looked down with satisfaction at the filled benches. _Er, with one missing…where did it go._ Snape looked around, leaving the others to stand guard at the table—_if another child gets up so help me…_

Under a bed, Snape finally spotted the missing child. Potter, again. Crouching down, Snape reached out to pick him up. He was too far away. "Come, Potter, I'm not coming in after you." Slowly, Harry obeyed, crawling over to the Potion Master's arms. With his huge green eyes, the boy eyed the man curiously. Snape felt increasingly uncomfortable, and was relieved to be able to dump the kid at the table.

"Well, who's hungry?" Dumbledore asked boisterously.

"Me!" a chorus of children replied.

Snape seriously wanted to hit something.

With a clap of his hands, the table filled with food. Wide eyed, Snape couldn't believe what the house elves had picked for the meal. Each plate was covered in large quantities of spaghetti, dripping with sauce. Peas, rolls, and mashed potatoes also adorned their meals.

Greedily, the kids dug in; the sight tested Snape's stomach. They were like a bunch of pigs, finally let lose on a full trough. At least his godson had a modicum of propriety—or rather he tried. With his hand, he placed the meatball on his fork and used the utensil to stuff it in his mouth. That was a step above the usual hand to mouth method most of the children were using. He did notice the Granger girl was quite proficient with her fork, but, of course, she was also busy lecturing the large boy next to her.

"No," she commanded. Holding up her silverware, she said, "Fork." She continued on to demonstrate the uses of said utensil by scooping up a bit of noodles and taking a bite.

Meanwhile, the boy—Snape now recognized as Goyle—paid no attention to her. That is, until the idiot Gryffindor decided to take a new approach. She grabbed the boy's wrist and tried to force a fork into his hand. Stunned for a moment, Goyle did nothing, the suddenly he threw the fork down and pushed the meddlesome girl away.

Snape restrained a laugh.

Hermione, feelings hurt more than anything, started to pout. In a flash, McGonagall was at the girl's side. This only served to escalate the pout to a cry, so the woman picked her up. Severus was disgusted by the fact the woman ignored the spaghetti-covered face and let it wipe all over her robes.

Snape involuntarily shivered when he noticed the rest of the grime-coated children. The food was disappearing quickly; soon they would be done. Snape eyed the door; he could make a run for it. Out in the corridors, he could disappear before Dumbledore could say "lemon drop."

"Well, I need to get down to the Great Hall," Dumbledore announced. "Dinner's starting soon and I need to be making an announcement. The students will be wondering what happened to the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins."

"You're leaving?" Snape sneered. "You can't possibly expect me to stay if you yourself won't."

"Severus—"

"No," Snape shouted. "I've done my part. I have work to attend to. This incident is your fault! YOU insisted that I give _everybody_ a chance. YOU made me accept Longbottom. Now I'm done doing what YOU want!"

Not many people could stand up on the receiving end of Snape incredible temper. Many students, staff members and death eaters a like, would tremble in fear—ready to do anything in hopes of quelling the fires of rage… And yet, Dumbledore stood there, unmoving, eyes full of twinkle, waiting patiently for the man to finish.

"Now, Severus, I am sure that you took every precaution necessary in your classroom,"—Snape snorted—"But the fact remains. An accident occurred under your watch. It is your responsibility to make sure your students are well cared for."

"I brought them to Madame Pomfrey," Snape said through a clenched jaw.

"She needs help, Severus. Minerva has volunteered and you have also."

"I hardly call this _volunteering_," Snape snapped.

"Call it what you will," Albus replied, patting Snape on his shoulder. "Now, if you'll please excuse me."

_Damn that man!_ Snape watched the Headmaster as he walked out the hospital wing. The door remained wide open. Albus left it that way, because he would never _force_ Snape to obey. No Snape had to choose to stay… _That meddlesome, manipulating old man!_ Snape knew that he would stay, he knew that he couldn't refuse Albus' wishes. He owed the man too much. But that didn't stop him from glaring at the open door, muttering to himself about the old man's gall.

"Up," Draco commanded. Snape wanted to kick the boy. Turning around, he looked down at his godson, young, innocent and covered in spaghetti sauce.

"Come, Draco," Snape said. "Let's clean you up," and he walked back into the chaos.

xxxxx

Ignoring the women's reproachful glares, Snape did not refrain from using magic. Madame Pomfrey and the Headmaster had decided to limit their use of magic around the children so as not to frighten the muggleborns. Somehow, they overlooked the fact that most muggles were unaccustomed to seeing a table pop up from the floor or food suddenly appearing on plates. None of the children had yet dropped into a fit of hysterics—at least over the shocking display of magic—and therefore Severus decided it was fair game. Besides, it likely didn't matter if they were terrified or traumatized. By next morning, they would all be back to their normal selves with only an odd memory. _Or would they remember it at all?_

So with Dumbledore gone, Snape took the opportunity to _Scourgify_ the children and banish their robes. The toddlers, wearing nothing other than their training nappy, where place on a hospital bed with a set of pajamas. Snape then drew an age line along the edge of the bed— ensuring that the child was contained—and ordered them to dress.

"Baff, teeff, an' den bed," Hermione explained to Snape as he carried the girl to bed.

"That's wonderful, Miss Granger," Snape snapped sarcastically.

"Me 'mione," she corrected, tapping her hand on her chest for emphasis.

Snape snorted.

"Icky teeff," Hermione announced, jabbing her finger into Snape's mouth.

With cat like reflexes, Snape snatched the girl's hand away. "Don't touch me," he said coldly.

She stared back at him, terrified. Sticking her fingers in her mouth, she started to cry.

"Severus Snape!" McGonagall scolded as she rescued the girl. "Honestly, she's just a baby. Show some control."

The woman turned away sharply. For a moment, Snape raised his right arm, his hand outstretched, ready to strangle his former Professor. After closing his eyes and counting to ten, Snape was finally able to lower his hand again.

"Thomas," Snape called, moving on to the next child.

Eventually, Pomfrey and McGonagall gave up their muggle cleaning methods and opted to follow Snape's lead. In no time at all, each bed had a half-naked toddler. Some of the students attempted to put on their own pajamas. But most decided to stand pressed against the invisible wall; a few looked confused, while others wailed in protest. The craziest of kids, such as Weasley and Finnigan, had already fallen asleep without even bothering to dress.

Mentally counting the students, Snape noticed one was missing. He immediately knew which one. "Potter," he muttered. He first looked to the women, hoping one of them noticed the boy's disappearance… let them deal with Gryffindor's Golden Boy. Cursing Merlin, Snape saw that they were both otherwise occupied.

Crouching low, Snape looked under the various hospital beds. _Trust Potter to be the nuisance…_ He found the boy, under his godson's bed, hiding something.

"Potter!" Snape snapped.

The boy jumped, smacking his head on one of the supporting bars. Tears welling in his eyes, he bit his bottom lip, but he did not cry.

Unmoving, Snape continued, "What do you think you're doing, boy? Did you steal something? Show me what you're hiding!"

Looking crushed, Harry scooped up his prized possession and presented it to Snape.

Disgusted, Snape's lip curled. The Potter boy had a handful of spaghetti and a mushy roll. He opened him mouth to ask what was wrong with the idiot, but shut it immediately. Eyes wide, realization struck him. Potter was hiding food. Potter was afraid, unsure when he would get to eat again. The boy was starved. His muggle relatives neglected him.

"Potter, come here," Snape commanded, with a lot less edge to his tone.

Harry didn't move—he just continued to bite his lower lip, spaghetti dripping from his hand.

"Listen, Potter," Snape said, "You will eat again. Trust me, I promise. You'll never go hungry again."

Slowly, Harry crept out from under the bed, still clutching the remains of his supper.

One flick of Snape's wand and every trace of spaghetti vanished. With the next flick, the robe was gone. Harry looked down at his now clean hands, sad and scared at the same time.

Tentatively, Snape picked up the toddler in order to put him on his bed. Snape was caught off guard when Harry laid his little head down on his shoulder. With a sigh, the boy's whole body became loose, relaxing completely into the Professor's arms.

Snape was equally surprised when he felt reluctant to put they boy down. Scoffing at himself, Snape brushed aside his sentimentality. But he could not prevent the almost soothing voice that left his lips. "Time to go to bed."

"Unky Sev'vus, Unky Sev'vus," his godson called from the bed over. "Dwaco, up!"

"It's time for bed, Draco," Snape announced. Picking up the pajama bottoms he began to dress the boy. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Harry was pulling on his own clothes. After tucking in Draco, Snape turned and helped Harry with the buttons on his top. Covering up the boy, Snape left to help with some of the others.

The room was growing quiet as many of the students started to fall asleep. Still, there were several hyper children, jumping up and down on their beds—ignoring the adults' orders to stop. Snape scowled at some, scaring them into obeying, but as soon as his back turned, they were up again.

"We're just going to have to take care of them one at a time," McGonagall said. She had transfigured a chair into a rocker and had Hermione nestled into her lap. Considering the girl's half-closed eyes, she wasn't far from sleep.

"Dwaco up!" his godson screamed from across the room. The boy was irate now, face race red and his little fists balled.

"Lay down, Draco. It's time for bed."

"No!"

"Draco," Snape warned.

"No!"

Snape walked over to his godson and laid him back down. He tried to pat the little back, but Draco struggled to his hands and knees. Snape laid him down again.

"No!" Draco screamed. "Dwaco up. Up! Up!"

Twack. Snape brought his hand down on Draco's bottom. "Now you lay down or I'm flooing your father!" The boy immediately obeyed, tears flowing from his eyes.

Embarrassed, Snape looked around the room to see if anyone noticed. Like dominos, all the remaining children dropped in their beds. The room became silent, save for Draco's quiet whimper. Snape avoided looking at Pomfrey and McGonagall, although he could feel their glares.

He hated himself. Covering the little boy up, he started rubbing circles on his back. Soon the whimpers faded away only to be replaced by snores.

Relieved, Snape sat down and watched his godson sleep. After a moment, he turned to check on Potter and was startled when he found the boy staring back at him. Quickly, the green eyes snapped shut. Leaning back, Snape pinched the bridge of his nose—a migraine was soon to come.

"I need a strong cup of tea," McGonagall announced, rushing out of the infirmary.

"I need something stronger than tea," Snape mumbled to himself.

"I could use some tea as well," Pomfrey stated and left.

For a second, Snape sat there, eyes shut and pinching his nose. Suddenly, he shot to his feet. He was alone. Near panic, he surveyed the toddlers, expecting them all to leap up and start running around. Relieved, he noticed they were all slumbering peacefully.

Well, all except Potter.

"Go to sleep, Potter," Snape commanded. The little boy squeezed his eyes shut. Snape sat back down to nurse his migraine. After a minute or so, he looked back at Potter. Again the wide eyes stared back at him and then shut almost immediately.

This pattern continued for nearly thirty minutes.

"Potter, you need to go to sleep." Snape knew the transition from toddler to teenager would be painful if endured while awake. And loath as he was to admit it; he did not want Potter to feel any pain.

He knew how to put the boy to sleep.

He'd seen Lily do it. The boy had grown quite ill shortly after his first birthday, while James was away. Lily, wrought with fear, called Severus over for a special potion to ease the boy's suffering. He'd supplied the potion, but Lily begged him to stay, "just in case," she had said. So he sat and watched her rock the baby to sleep. And now, Snape couldn't think of anything else to do.

Looking around the room, Snape made sure no one was watching. He transfigured his chair into a rocker, and then quietly scooped the boy up and cradled him in his arms. With gentleness unseen by any living soul, Snape rocked back and forth. Using his callused hand, he brushed down the boy's nose encouraging the eyes to close.

At first, Harry stared up at him, confused. But after a while, he relaxed, sticking his thumb in his mouth. A short while later, his eyes became heavy, drooping more and more until they finally closed.

Snape closed his own eyes, leaning back in the chair feeling relaxed. Planning to rock the boy for only a short while longer—so that the boy was deep asleep—Snape hadn't expected to drift off to sleep himself. But he did.

xxxxx

Author's Note:

So this story can go two ways. You can think of this as the end. The students wake the next day, back to normal, with a few sketchy memories. They blush, poke fun at one another and then go on with life. –Or— What if Snape's calculation was wrong? What if there was more to Neville's potion than he realized? What if the students were still toddlers? … If that seems interesting to you, let me know, and I'll continue on with the story.


	2. The Morning After

Chapter 2

The Morning After

xxxxx

_Snape was standing in a field. With the glow from the full moon, it was easy to tell the plants were the most rare forms of Fluxweed. Even better than that, a newly fallen tree had trapped a large Acromantula. In its anger, the large spider spewed its venom out willingly. Snape merely had to stick out a pot to collect it. To the right, Snape spotted a few goats, and for some reason, he was sure something was ailing their stomachs. Off in the distance, he spotted a collection of Aconite and up on the cliff side, was an abandoned dragon's nest filled with eggs. He knew that he had plenty of time to collect everything, so he worked casually. The potions he could brew with them… well, they would make both his masters pleased. _

_"Severus," the headmaster called._

_Startled, Snape looked around. Albus was not supposed to be here. It was his time to pick ingredients…_

"Severus…"

Snape opened his eyes, and nearly fell backwards in his panic to get away. Way too close for comfort, Albus Dumbledore stood staring into his face. The old man's eyes were in full twinkle and his smile was almost as wide as ever. Confused, Snape tried to regain a sense of his surroundings.

And then, like a bludger, it hit him. _The potions accident. The children. Harry. Oh merlin…_ Snape nearly threw the toddler out of his arms. Regaining control, just in time, Snape attempted to gather his dignity in order to deposit the boy into his bed.

"What time is it?" Snape muttered. He turned back to Albus and blushed—_oh he was going to kill them, all of them_—both Madame Pomfrey and Minerva McGonagall were standing behind the old man with silly little grins on their faces—_Yes, he was going to kill them._

"Half past six," Dumbledore replied casually.

"Pardon?"

"Half past six."

Snape quickly turned back to Harry, and then he looked over at Draco. He was feeling a bit panicky now. "No, that's not possible. They're…"

"They're still toddlers," Dumbledore finished for him.

In anger, Snape scrunched up his face. He hated it when people pointed out the obvious. Did Dumbledore think he was blind?

"I'll need to go to my classroom," Snape replied quickly. He still had time… if some of Longbottom's potion remained, he could test it. "I can—"

"The room has been cleaned by the house elves Severus," Dumbledore replied. For a moment, Snape was even angrier. Had the old man read his thoughts? But then Snape remembered—he was a Master Occlumens after all. He would feel it if the man had tried to break through his mental shields. Albus twinkled back at him, and Snape got that creepy feeling that perhaps his mind wasn't as protected as he thought.

Trying to shake off his insecurity, Snape shouted, "If you hadn't insisted I stay, I would have been able to clean my room, _properly_, saving a sample of Longbottom's potion just in case!"

"You assured me that the effect would wear off after _no longer than twelve hours_," Dumbledore replied, still nice and calm.

Snape huffed. He opened his mouth for an angry retort, but he didn't know what to say. Instead, he decided on a deadly scowl and turned in a dramatic fashion—robes billowing—and headed to the nearest potions cabinet. He needed a Headache Draught. Downing a vial, he turned back to the others. "Now what do we do?"

They stared back at him. Snape got the eerie feeling that whatever they planned, he wasn't going to like it.

"Dwaco up!" his godson called.

Damn, the boy was a light sleeper.

xxxxx

Somehow they all managed to make it through another round of dressing and breakfast. As it turned out, Snape was looking forward to "the plan." Dumbledore had come to his senses—there was no way they'd be able to take care of all of these children together. And so his favorite part of the day was upon him—the divvying out of children.

"Severus," Dumbledore said.

"Yes?" Snape was in a much better mood; soon he'd be rid of the brats.

"You will take two children yourself, don't forget."

In this moment—without a doubt—Snape regretted telling the old man about the Dark Lord's hiatus. After the events at the Ministry of Magic, Voldemort had decided to take a trip to visit various islands in the Atlantic. The plan was for the evil wizard to learn more Dark Arts while rebuilding his body's strength. At first, Snape was excited about the Dark Lord's absence; he could go back to some long abandoned research projects. But right now, his spy duties would have undoubtedly gotten him out of baby-sitting. Yet he couldn't use that excuse. It should be months before the Dark Lord returned—_assuming some cannibalistic tribe doesn't eat him_— so Snape had to come up with some other excuse. As of yet, Albus was not relenting.

"Headmaster," Snape snapped. "We've been over this before. I will need plenty of time to research the incident. I may have to create an antidote."

"Ah, yes, and what better way to conduct your research, than to closely observe your own two toddlers?"

"I can always visit."

"Severus, pick two," Dumbledore ordered. The matter was closed. There would be no more arguing now.

"Malfoy and Potter," Snape replied.

"Harry?" McGonagall spoke up. "Why do you want Harry?"

"He's quiet."

The woman drew closer, scrutinizing Snape's demeanor.

The Potions Master put on a stoic façade, fighting the urge to shuffle his feet. "I'm not going to hurt him," Snape blurted out.

"You can't have Harry," McGonagall decided.

"Malfoy and Potter, or none at all," Snape replied.

"Minerva, I'm sure Severus has the best of intentions," Dumbledore stepped in, guiding the woman over to the children. "Now, who would you like to take?"

"Papa Albus" entertained the toddlers while Snape signed out the various children. He felt a bit like some poor sap sitting on the side of the road, desperately trying to get rid of a litter of puppies.

Minerva took Hermione and Pansy. Snape was not surprised. Both girls were smart and they had the woman wrapped around their fingers since the night before.

The next person to come claim a child was Ginny Weasley.

"The Headmaster asked me to take care of Ron," Ginny said. The little redhead heard a familiar voice and wandered over. Seeing Ginny, he stood dumb struck, sucking on an index finger.

"You can pick up some supplies from Madame Pomfrey," Snape instructed, "as well as a Hogsmead voucher so that you can get more items should you see fit. Each night you are required to send a report of any significant changes you see in the boy. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Ginny replied.

"Now take the boy and go."

"Come here, Ron," Ginny said sweetly. Ron looked at Ginny and then back at Snape. Obviously he recognized the girl, but why, he wasn't sure. "Oh Ron, it's me, Ginny."

Slowly, Ron made his way over to his sister. "Ginny baby," he informed her.

"Well, I'm bigger now," she explained, picking up her little big brother.

"Ginny baby," Ron replied.

"I grew big Ron," Ginny attempted again. "Remember when Mummy told you to eat your vegetables so that you would grow big?"

Ron nodded.

"Did you eat your vegetables?"

Ron shook his head.

"Well, I ate my vegetables and I grew big."

Ron's eyes grew large, chewing on his finger; he looked over his much bigger baby sister.

"Ginny baby," he repeated.

"Oh, Ronald hush," Ginny sighed, "or I'll tell Mum what you've been up to."

Ron's eyes grew even larger. He laid his head down on Ginny's shoulder and kept his mouth shut.

Snape decided that—if he was forced to chose—Ginny was his favorite of Weasleys.

In no time at all, most of the children were distributed. Trelawney had wandered down from her tower in order to take care of Lavender Brown. "She's keen on Divination," the old fraud has explained. "It's easy to nourish the inner eye of the very young." Hagrid had come and scooped up Crabbe and Goyle. "They remin' me o' m'self, when I was a tyke." Snape didn't envy Dumbledore's position when Crabbe and Goyle Senior found out who was taking care of their precious offspring. Padma Patil came and got her sister Parvati. And all of Snape's seventh year girls came by to claim Blaise Zabini. Promfrey decided to tackle Seamus; the boy alone was a handful.

There were still four extra children to be passed out and Snape was getting worried. He was surprised by how many of the teachers stayed away. Well, he understood their reasons; he'd stay away if he could…

Just then, Remus Lupin walked in, followed closely by Arabella Figg.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Snape shouted at the werewolf.

Dumbledore stepped in to answer. "They're here, just in case the children are still toddlers come Monday. Surely everyone will be in need of a daycare in order to get back to classes. Besides, we have four children left."

"I'll take care of Harry," Lupin responded. "And Neville as well."

"Potter's taken," Snape replied. "Pick again."

"Who's taking Harry?" Lupin asked. When no one answered, he continued. "You can't be serious. Snape, you're taking him? Headmaster, please, he hates the boy, he only wishes to—"

Albus waved him off. "Severus has assured me he will take good care of the boy."

Lupin looked ready to protest some more, but held back. "Well then, I'll take care of Neville and Dean."

"Looks like you get Nott and Bulstrode," Snape drawled at Mrs. Figg, "the leftover Slytherins."

"Now, now, Severus," Dumbledore said. "No one is overlooking your Slytherins."

That sparked the usual argument and Dumbledore found himself, once again, on the receiving end of Snape's temper.

xxxxx

A little while before lunch, Snape made his way down to the dungeons. Two small toddlers flanked him; both had to sprint in order to keep up. The stairs posed an interesting problem. At first Snape was of a mind to let the boys handle things on their own. Draco was careful; holding onto the wall as he slowly descended the steps one at a time. Harry was daring, bounding down the stairs quickly—any moment he would fall.

Using impatience as an excuse, Snape picked up each boy and carried them the rest of the way to the dungeons. Inside his private quarters, he deposited the boys on the floor. Looking quickly around his sitting room, he once again regretted having to suffer with the added headaches.

One such headache—namely, Draco—immediately walked over to the low table, where Snape had a potion brewing. It had a stasis charm over it, but that didn't mean the cauldron was cold or couldn't be spilled.

Before he could react, Draco said, "Uh oh."

Unable to do anything, Snape watched three months of work drip down onto his stone floor. He wanted to smack the boy.

Draco turned back to Snape, gray eyes sparkling innocently. "Sowwy, Sev'vus," he said.

Snape wanted to shout, he wanted to rage, but the words wouldn't come to his mouth. Finally, pointing his finger, he said, "Don't let it happen again."

Draco smiled and then started to toddle of towards a stack of books. His pudgy little hands reached out to pick up one of the delicate old tomes.

"No you don't," Snape said, scooping the boy up. He sat Draco down on the couch. "Stay," he commanded. Then he looked around for Harry. When he didn't see the boy, his immediate thought was, _oh Merlin! I've lost one already…Albus is going to kill me_. Trying not to panic, Snape walked over to where he'd left the boy. Rounding the sofa, he spotted the baby. Harry hadn't moved, just sat down. _He was so little and easy to lose._ Picking up the boy, he brought Harry over to the couch. Draco was now jumping, but sat down as soon as he saw Snape's scowl. Putting Harry down on the couch, Snape said, "You two sit down and stay"—Harry nodded solemnly while Draco smiled—"Lunch will be here soon."

Snape stood up and surveyed his sitting room. With the flick of his wand, the potion mess was gone. But his room still wasn't safe. He had a lot of delicate objects, not to mention the extra shelf of potion ingredients. Sure he had a nice lab, but sometimes it was comfortable to brew near the fire. Slowly and meticulously, he sent all his jars and vials back into his lab. He cringed, noting it would take hours to properly reorganize everything.

By now, Draco was itching to get up. He'd stood on several occasions to jump, only to sit shortly after Snape glared. But the power of the glare was wearing off. So after a while, Draco continued to jump, ignoring Snape completely._ Let the boy fall._

Done relocating the ingredients, Snape looked back at the room; there were still many things he didn't want the toddlers to touch. _I could draw an age line around everything, or_—inspiration struck—_I could clear out an area for them, and contain them._

With that decided, Snape went to work quickly. He picked a location close to the table and levitated the shelf out of the way. _It was a large enough space for two babies_, he thought.

Looking back at his two small wards, he noticed Draco was starting to crawl down.

"Draco," Snape warned.

"Dwaco pway!" the boy whined, but he climbed back up on the couch.

Snape looked back at his blank square. The little boy had a point. The two toddlers would need something to do. First, they would need some place to sit and relax. For that he decided to sacrifice his couch—_they'd contaminated it already_. Draco giggled as he levitated the couch into the square. Snape was surprised to note the appearance of a wide grin on Harry for the first time—he was even more surprised that he wanted to see the smile again.

"Okay, Draco, Harry"—yes, in the privacy of his quarters only, Snape decided to call the boy by his given name… it was simpler that way—"you can get up and play now."

Draco squealed in delight, climbed off the couch, and walked straight for the age line. There, an invisible wall stopped him. He walked along the wall, looking for a way around it, and then, confused, he turned to Snape.

"You will stay within your little area," Snape explained. "I don't need you two breaking my belongings or killing yourselves."

"Dwaco out!" the boy shouted, stomping his foot for emphasis.

"Whine and scream all you want," Snape said. "It won't make any difference."

Draco looked ready to comply, his lower lip trembling and tears forming in his eyes.

Saving them all, lunch popped up on the table. Three plates of mashed potatoes, chicken and peas—two were prepared toddler-style, with precut chicken—and three cups of pumpkin juice.

"Time for lunch," Snape announced.

Snape carried each toddler to the table so they could get through the age line. He had to transfigure the chairs so they were higher—the children would sit properly, not on their knees. Snape sat between them, hoping to be able to eat as much as possible before the children disgusted him.

Draco wasted no time, picking up his spoon and scooping up mashed potatoes. Harry hesitated, but after seeing the others eat, he reached out and grabbed a handful of peas. Snape quickly caught the boy's wrist. "No," he said, as he shook the peas out of the little hand. Harry appeared ready to cry. He looked down at the food with longing and bit his lip.

"Use your spoon," Snape clarified. He picked up the spoon and handed it to Harry.

The boy looked at the spoon in confusion and then watched Snape as he demonstrated. Going back to the peas, Harry tried to scoop some up with his spoon. They were rolly little things, and kept escaping. But finally, he caught three and carefully lifted them into his mouth. Two made it and Harry smiled proudly as he chewed. Turning back to his plate, he tried to get more.

_The peas were the hardest_, Snape realized. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Draco would sneak a few into his mouth using his hand. But Harry didn't give up; he diligently ate two or three peas at a time. Soon the pile disappeared, only a few stray peas remained scattered about his plate, the table and the floor.

Snape was surprised that he finished his meal without his stomach churning. He once again was pleased with his selection of toddlers. Draco, although a spoiled brat, had a few manners and, well, Snape would never admit it, but he did have a soft spot for the boy. Harry, meanwhile, was surprisingly well behaved… although Snape had a bad feeling about it. The boy didn't do anything and Snape was beginning to wonder if Harry could even speak.

"Harry," Snape said. The toddler looked up, chewing on a piece of chicken. "Can you speak?"

Harry swallowed and then answered, "Yes."

"Why don't you ever talk?"

The little boy shrugged.

Snape snorted and then turned to his other young ward. Draco was starting to fall asleep right at the table. His droopy eyes shut completely as his head fell towards the plate. Snape caught to boy just before he hit the mashed potatoes. Thanking Merlin, Snape picked up the sleeping boy and laid him down on the couch. After charming Draco clean, he covered him with a small blanket. He had forgotten that the two toddlers would take naps and he was suddenly thrilled with the prospect of a least a couple of hours to himself. _Now to get Potter to sleep…_

He looked up to see Harry licking the last of the mashed potatoes off of his fingers. His plate was now sparkling clean. Harry's big green eyes made contact with Snape's. The little boy bit his lip.

The Potions Master couldn't look away; the eyes pulled him in. Even without using _Legilimens_, the boy's mind was wide open. And so Snape easily slipped into Harry's thoughts. He was met with blackness, dark and crushing. At first, Snape thought he was seeing the Dark Lord's presence, but then he noticed a tiny string of light, a glimmer of hope. A moment later, Snape was out of Harry's thoughts, watching the little boy blink. Harry was still biting his lip.

Hesitating, Snape swallowed. _What did the blackness mean?_

Harry wiped his hands on the front of his robes.

Snape held back a scowl, keeping his face neutral. "Time for bed."

The toddler nodded his head, and then slowly climbed down from the heightened chair. He walked as far as he could, held back by the age line.

With a flick of his wand, Snape cleaned the boy and then carried him to the couch. "Now, I want you to go to sleep," he instructed. "No more opening and closing your eyes. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Harry answered.

Snape covered the boy with a blanket. Harry closed his eyes and stuck a thumb in his mouth. Watching for a moment, Snape was pleased to note that the eyes didn't open back up. Soon after, he heard Harry's breathing become deep and smooth. Casting a charm over the boys so he would be alerted when they woke, Snape left to go reorganize his lab.

xxxxx

Many Potion "Masters" organized their ingredients alphabetically; a few smarter ones managed to organize based on the ingredient's properties. Snape had to wonder how these so called masters managed to brew successfully. A true master realized there was more to an ingredient than its name or its use. There was a large difference between minced, crushed, mashed, or powdered nettles. Plus, some ingredients were used more often then others; wasn't it natural they be located close at hand? And then there were tricky ingredients that would react with the wrong neighbor. Yes, organization was a true Potion Master's most important asset.

Reintroducing the ingredients from his sitting room was both tedious and delicate work. The large quantity of Armadillo Bile was begging for it's own shelf, but it would require moving the Crocodile Parts and he didn't want to lose the stabilizing effect their closeness provided. Making a decision, he was about to begin the move when a buzzing in his mind interrupted him.

_The children were waking already?_ Snape sighed. It was only two-thirty in the afternoon and he had no idea how to entertain them. They most likely wouldn't be ready to go to bed till eight o'clock, but perhaps he could push it to seven-thirty. That still left him five hours with the brats and he didn't know what to do with them.

Entering his sitting room, he found his godson on the couch leaning over Potter. "Wake up!" Draco commanded to the sleeping form.

"No," Snape shouted, trying to prevent the boy from waking Harry. It was a pointless effort as the green eyes snapped open.

Harry stayed there for a while, sucking his thumb, obviously confused. Draco immediately climbed off the couch and walked over to Snape.

"So, Draco," Snape said. "What do you do all day?"

The little boy looked around the room and then back at the Potions Master. "Dwaco play," he answered.

Snape also took a moment to observe his quarters. There wasn't really anything for two little boys to play with. Knowing they needed something to occupy their time, Snape transfigured some of his cheaper, less important Potions books into blocks. He placed a feather light charm on them, so they would be easy for toddlers to lift and manipulate. Taking a small wooden box, he emptied its contents and then expanded it to hold his newly transfigured blocks. As a second though, Snape transfigured his round glass paperweight into a large ball and added it to the box. He pushed the transfigured toys into the containment area and said, "Entertain yourselves."

Draco squealed with excitement and instantly pushed the box over spilling the contents. Snape pinched the bridge of his nose. The Headache Draught was wearing off… he'd need more. Ignoring the children, the professor grabbed a stack of essays and sat down to begin grading.

While Draco got busy stacking the blocks, Harry climbed off the couch and grabbed the ball. The little raven-haired boy leaned onto the ball with his tummy and let it roll underneath him. He smiled to himself as he fell to the ground again and again. His smile faded suddenly, when he was shoved to the ground.

"Mine!" Draco shouted as he took the ball.

Snape noticed the altercation, but decided to let the boys resolve things on their own. Harry immediately looked towards the man, biting his lip. Obviously, he wanted the ball back. But Snape wasn't going to get it for him. Harry was capable of taking it back himself. The man was surprised, though, when Harry got up to go play with the blocks instead.

Snape returned to his grading and didn't look up again until he heard the noise of falling blocks. Harry sat down in front of the pile, with Draco looming over him mischievously. Again Harry looked to Snape, but there were no fits, no tears of injustice. After a moment, Harry picked up the blocks and started to build again.

Getting angry, Draco pushed Harry over and told him to "Go 'way." This time, Harry didn't look up to Snape. Instead the boy obeyed, giving Draco free reign of the blocks.

Harry went over to the box and pulled it over his head. He walked around for a while, bumping into the couch and the age line. _This was the savior of the Wizarding World?_ he thought as he started in on another essay.

Again, Snape heard objects come crashing to the floor. In this case, it was Harry and the box. He watched as the blonde-headed bully wrenched the box away from the other boy. Soon a pattern emerged, whatever Harry had—Draco would take.

Snape was surprised by the little Gryffindor. Where was Harry's bravery? Where was the arrogance? This toddler was still Harry, he decided. The boy was just being lazy, wanting him to step in and fight for him. Well, Snape would not do it. Harry would have to stand up and fight for himself.

Harry was now sitting on the floor, sucking his thumb. Draco had given up playing with the box and started to rip the cushions off the couch so he could jump on it. With even more determination, Snape went back to grading his essays. He would not look up unless he heard someone crying.

For a long time, all Snape heard was Draco's giggles. It took him a while to notice that the room had become quiet. At first he was pleased, finally he could get some peace. But then he remembered a silent Draco was a naughty Draco. He looked up to see the boy sitting on Harry's back pinning the littler toddler to the floor. Why wasn't Harry struggling or at the very least crying?

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" Snape snapped.

The blond boy nearly leapt into the air. Standing quickly, he looked up at the man in his most innocent pose.

Harry, on the other hand, crawled slowly to his feet and did not look up. From his point of view, Snape could see the boy's cheeks were streaked with tears. It was obvious that the toddler had been crying for at least a few minutes.

Feeling surprisingly guilty, Snape found himself scooping the boy up into his arms. Harry laid his head down on the man's shoulder. Although he made no sound, Snape could tell the boy was still crying. Using his free hand, he gently patted the small back. He was completely at a loss at what to do.

Snape looked down at the little blond terror and glared. Draco had the grace to look guilty.

Saving him from the situation, a snack appeared on the table. Cheese and apple slices, with a cup of water each. Snape hoped it would take the boys a while to consume their food. Without saying anything, Snape placed Harry in front of his snack and then retrieved Draco.

In no time at all, Draco had inhaled his food and was demanding to go play. Harry calmed down, but ate deliberately, savoring each bite. Snape, feeling a bit more relaxed, went back to his essays.

The man didn't noticing the green eyes that were watching him intently. Quietly, Harry climbed down from his chair and walked over to the man. He sat down on the stone floor as close to Snape as possible without actually touching him. There, Harry silently sucked his thumb.

"Dwaco out!" the little boy screamed.

"No, Draco," Snape replied, not bothering to look up from his work.

"Hawwy out," Draco whined.

Snape's head snapped up. He had forgotten about the boy. "Harry!" the man shouted. He stood up to begin searching. His foot bumped into something. Looking down, black eyes met green.

"Hi," Harry said sweetly.

"You," Snape snapped. Harry bit his lip. With a sigh, Snape picked up the boy and brought him back to the containment area. When he leaned down, he had trouble prying the little boy off of him. Harry had a remarkably strong grip. He managed to put the boy down and started to walk back to his essays. Harry followed, but was stopped by the age line. Draco was next to Harry within seconds and ready to pounce. This time, Snape stepped in.

Kneeling down, Snape was eye-to-eye with a pair of gray eyes. His godson looked startled. "Draco, you will behave yourself and leave Harry alone. Otherwise, you will find yourself stuck to the couch for a very long time. Is that understood?"

Draco nodded.

Snape stood up to study the blond-headed toddler. He knew the boy would obey—at least for a short while. But it was plain to see the little spoiled brat was bored. And a bored Draco was a naughty Draco. Pinching the bridge of his nose, Snape realized he would have to find another activity to occupy the boys.

Inspiration hit when he remembered his godson loved to draw. He gathered up extra parchment, two old quills, and two inkpots. Setting the materials down in front of the boys, he pointed out which items belonged to each boy. After warning Draco once more to be nice, he returned to his grading. He kept a close eye on the boys. Both were lying down on their bellies, their quills held awkwardly.

Harry followed Draco's lead. The blond—gingerly and properly—dipped his quill into the red ink and scribbled across the parchment. Harry copied the other's actions and was pleased to note the black mark he made on the paper.

For quite some time, both boys were rather careful. But as time passed, Snape got more relaxed—paying less and less attention. Meanwhile, Harry and Draco decided to approach the drawing process more creatively. First, they dipped the quill soft end first. Second, they forgot the quills and used their fingers. Soon thereafter, they forgot the parchment and looked for other surfaces. Harry found the stone floor suitable for making beautiful black handprints. Draco decided to discover what happened when red ink mixed with his new friend's black hair.

Just as the blood red ink started to drip down Harry's face, the Potions Master glanced up from his work. He nearly had a heart attack. Gritting his teeth, he reached into his pocket and grasped his wand. _Someone was going to die._

As he stood up, he heard a knock. He sprinted to the door—lest the unwelcome visitor decided to let himself in—and opened it a crack.

"Why, hello headmaster," Snape sneered.

"Hello, Severus!" Albus replied in a chipper tone. "Just coming to check in."

"Everything is find," Snape replied. He held the door protectively close in order to obstruct the old man's view. At the same time, he prayed to Merlin, hoping the boys weren't being any more creative with their ink.

"I'd like to see the boys," Albus instructed. His voice was still soft, but the intention was clear. It was a command.

"Yes, of course, Headmaster," Snape said casually. "Let me clean up a bit first." Then he stepped back to shut the door… Only a few charms and the boys would be spotless.

"Nonsense," Albus replied, pushing his way past Snape.

Cringing, Snape watched his mentor enter the room and make his way over to the two boys. Both of the toddlers had become very creative. Draco was busy adding red handprints to the walls, while Harry painted his arms black.

"Oh, my!" Albus gasped.

Harry looked up. With the red ink dripping morbidly down his face, the boy almost appeared to be seriously injured.

Before he knew it, Snape opened his mouth and said, "Draco did it." Instantly, he blushed and was glad Albus was the only one present.

His meager bit of joy quickly faded when a hand patted his shoulder. "An age line? Honestly, Severus," the Deputy Headmistress chided.

Snape suddenly wondered where the woman came from—he hadn't noticed her before. Instead he snapped, "Where are your children? Gotten out of baby-sitting already?" He wanted to add, "_Couldn't handle your little menaces?_" but under the current circumstances it didn't seem appropriate.

"At the moment, they are with Madame Pince in the library," Minerva replied casually. "Albus and I are checking on all the toddlers to make sure they have everything they need."

"As you can see," Snape sneered as he started to spell the boys clean, "Harry and Draco are fine."

"Yes, yes," Albus interrupted. "We are here to give you a couple of hours to go to your classroom. You said you could do a bit of research…"

Snape eyed the headmaster suspiciously. He knew he was being handled, but he couldn't pass up a couple of brat-free hours. "All right," he reluctantly agreed. He glanced at the two boys momentarily. They both looked much cleaner and quite confused. Without another word, Snape stalked out of his private quarters. He distinctively heard Minerva say, "that was easy," as he left, but he decided to ignore it. Whatever the two adults were up to, it couldn't be that bad. Or so he thought.

xxxxx

In his spotless classroom, Snape had poked around every small crevice in the vicinity of Longbottom's desk. Any small amount of the potion would tell him exactly what amount of each ingredient was added. In his search, he realized just how unlikely it would be to discover how wrong the idiot boy's potion had gone. There were seventeen different ingredients, twelve of which had to be prepared by the students. And it was anyone's guess as to how well Longbottom could stir.

The best Snape was going to be able to do was recreate every possible concoction the idiot boy might have managed with his set of ingredients. Most likely, his efforts wouldn't make any difference, but he felt compelled to do something… anything. His only other option was to watch the children's progress and hope there were abnormalities in their growth—such as rapidly aging. He shuddered to think they might be toddlers forever.

After gathering a few texts from his office, Snape left to make his way back to his private quarters. It had been just over two hours and he really didn't want someone to come and fetch him. No, he would return on his own. At least now it was drawing awfully close to a suitable bedtime.

He had a small glimmer of hope. Perhaps the glass vial Longbottom had dropped into the cauldron had stabilized the gas and therefore causing the deaging to last longer. It was a stretch and yet, still plausible. As time passed, that possibility was getting less likely. Twenty-three hours and forty-eight minutes was the limit, so far, that glass had managed to prolong a potion's temporary effects. So added to the original potion's twelve-hour prognosis, Snape figured by tomorrow morning he'd find out for sure. Either the brats would still be toddlers, or not.

Entering his quarters, Snape scowled. He hated it when people messed with his personal belongings. And even though it had been rather expected, he was not going to like it. In actuality, the room was returned to its basic condition, pre-toddler. The only notable exception was that the shelves had been raised to be above of toddler range. Also his two heightened chairs had been replaced by more complicated highchairs, complete with securing straps and individual trays.

The most disturbing thing about the room was the absence of two pesky adults and two pint-sized students. A giggling Draco drew the Potions Master's attention to the left, to a doorway he'd never possessed before. Grudgingly, Snape dragged his feet in that direction.

Snape had to blink several times in order to get his eyes to adjust to the colorful room. One end of the room—occupied by the adults and the children—was full of toys and a small climbing structure. On the other end of the room—nearer to the door and therefore Snape—were two cots, a dresser, a bookshelf, and a rocking sofa chair. Above him, Snape noticed the ceiling was charmed much like the Great Hall, except it was done in a more cartoon-like style. Stepping into the room, Snape noticed the floor was soft and squishy, covered with a thick brown carpet. Fully into the room, the man felt completely out of his element. Even the bright blue walls were smooth; no hint of the rough stone walls showed. Fighting the urge to run back to his familiar dungeon sitting room, Snape walked further in. Off to the side, he noticed another door. Opened a crack, Snape could see inside a smaller room with distinct bathroom elements.

Turning back to the adults—who were now watching him with annoying little smiles—Snape glared. He didn't like this one bit. There was no need for all these frivolous little gadgets. The children would be back to sixteen soon enough. Besides, there was no need to spoil the things.

"Hi, Sev'vus," Draco shouted, before he went back to climbing.

Instinctively, Snape looked around for his other little ward. Harry had a knack for disappearing and it was getting to be annoying. Catching sight of green eyes, Snape was surprised at how relieved the boy looked. Harry even smiled behind the thumb in his mouth. Even more shocking was how the boy climbed to his feet and toddled over to the Potions Master.

Snape couldn't help but smirk at McGonagall's bewildered face as Harry wrapped a little arm around his leg. It was in this mindset that Snape leaned down and picked up the boy. He wanted to show off. Obviously, the boy really cared about him.

Severus' breath caught—the boy really did care about him. Unconsciously, he held the little body closer.

"Well, I should be getting back to Pansy and Hermione," Minerva huffed. "I'm sure they're hungry."

"Does that mean you didn't feed Harry and Draco?" Snape replied snidely.

"Good evening, Minerva," Albus interrupted.

"Yes, good evening," she replied nodding to the old man and then Snape.

"Good evening," Snape replied, satisfied to see her leave.

"I should be going, too," Albus replied. "Even on the weekends, I should have dinner in the Great Hall." The headmaster paused, his eyes twinkling madly at the sight of Severus holding the small boy.

In that moment, Snape contemplated dropping the boy… but he knew he couldn't. "Good evening, Albus," Snape said.

"Good evening, my boy," Albus replied and then left.

When he was finally alone with the boys—his boys, Snape sighed. "Harry, what have you done to me?"

"Dwaco hun'gy," the boy whined.

"Lets go eat some dinner," Snape replied.

Walking out to his sitting room, they made their way to the table. Soup and toasted sandwiches waited for them. _Honestly_, Snape thought, _the house elves were out doing themselves with the messiest meals possible_.

xxxxx

Snape had the boys in nothing but their nappies while he looked around for a set of pajamas. Checking each drawer in the dresser, he realized how many clothes he now had for the boys. Surely he had enough for a full year… but hopefully it would not come to that. He discovered pajamas in the top drawer alongside extra nappies. Although they were self-cleaning, he knew eventually that they would reach a containment limit.

Calling the boys over, Harry was the first to come. "Draco!" Snape called sharply.

"No bed!" The boy yelled back.

Scowling, Snape willed his godson to come. He didn't want to resort to the same measures as he had the night before, but he knew Draco's stubbornness. Ironically enough, Hermione's advice popped back into his head—although adjusted into proper English—_Bath, teeth, and then bed…_ He recalled Narcissa droning on and on one time about Draco's routines. Perhaps it would work. Besides, he knew cleaning charms only worked so well. Either the boys would need to be washed or they would start to smell.

"Okay, Draco," Snape said, "It's time for your bath."

The blond perked up a bit and wandered over. "Bubbles?" he asked.

"Sure, you can have bubbles," Snape complied. The bubbles had a practical purpose. The boys would need privacy, he decided, because eventually they would be sixteen again. But he was not about to give them each a separate bath—that would take too much time.

Stepping into the bathroom, Snape turned on the tap. He checked the water, just in case, but knew it was set already to the perfect temperature. After adding some bubbles, Snape turned back to his little wards.

Draco was already half naked in his excitement to climb in. Snape managed to stop him long enough to pull off the socks before allowing the boy to go.

Harry hung back by the door. "Come on, Harry," Snape called. Reluctantly, the boy obeyed. Reaching up to unbutton the boy's robe, Snape was surprised when the boy pulled away.

"No!" Harry shouted in his first act of defiance.

"Now, Harry, you are going to take a bath," Snape explained. He was both annoyed and glad at the boy's sudden refusal to obey. Harry's true personality was starting to emerge. In no time at all, he would be back to the arrogant Potter and Snape could stop feeling guilty about misjudging the boy.

"No," Harry replied quieter. But he didn't fight back when Snape continued to take off his robe. By the time the boy was naked, he was whimpering. Gently, Snape lifted the boy. Once Harry was over the water, his screaming began. "No water! No water!" he repeated over and over again.

Startled, Snape pulled the boy close. Harry clung to the man with a death grip.

"Harry, what's wrong with you?" Snape snapped, but with a quieter voice than normal.

"Cold," Harry muttered.

"The water is not cold," Snape replied.

"Hot," Harry cried.

"Harry, if there was something wrong with the water, do you think Draco would be playing in it?"

Sniffling, Harry looked up at the blond boy. "No," he replied.

"Well then stop being an idiot and get in the water."

"Kay."

Slowly, Snape lowered the still tense boy into the water. On contact, Harry relaxed, but he didn't play with any of the toys. He looked ready for the bath business to be done with. Again, Snape had to admit he misjudged the little boy.

Washing Harry first, he let the boy sit outside the tub, wrapped in a towel, while he finished with Draco.

Soon after, both boys were dressed in their pajamas and attempting to brush their teeth—which really consisted of eating the paste right off their toothbrushes. While they "brushed," he charmed their hair dry and combed.

"More," Draco demanded, holding out his toothbrush.

"No, time for bed," Snape replied.

Draco pouted, but followed Snape and Harry out of the bathroom.

"Book!" Draco shouted, running over to the shelf.

With a sigh, Snape said, "One." Looking down at Harry, he added, "You too, go pick out one."

Smiling, Harry ran over to the shelf.

Getting closer to the cots, Snape noticed an old stuffed Dragon in one. He recognized it instantly as Draco's and wondered where the headmaster had gotten it. Smirking, Snape realized the boy probably kept it hidden in his trunk. He picked up the tattered green stuffed animal and then looked into the other cot. There was a brand new stuffed owl, no doubt a gift from Dumbledore, but Snape found that he didn't mind.

Snape called over to the boys. "Hurry up!"

"Dwagon!" Draco shouted, when he noticed his stuffed friend. Not surprising, the boy even picked out a book about dragons.

Harry followed behind the blond, carrying a book about owls. Picking up the stuffed owl, Snape was actually feeling pleased he'd be the one to give it to the boy.

The boys climbed onto the sofa, one on each side of Snape. Draco instantly snatched up his dragon. Snape handed Harry the stuffed owl. The boy stared at it wide eyed, and then looked up to the Potions Master.

"That's for you, Harry, to keep."

The boy smiled and then held it close.

Two books later, Snape had two snoring children at his sides. Scooping up the blond boy first, he put him down in his cot and then covered him up. Next, he picked up the raven-haired boy and tucked him into his cot as well.

Standing in the doorway, Snape spelled the lights off. The stars on the ceiling emanated a light glow so that the boys wouldn't be left in total darkness. Shutting the door, he was careful to leave a small crack.

Walking to his potions lab—he still had organization to do—he begged Merlin again that the boys would be sixteen in the morning. It was odd, though; he realized he wasn't so adamant about it anymore.

Snape scoffed… he was getting soft.

Author's Note:

So as you can see I decided to continue with the story. (100+ reviews, how could I not?) And, obviously enough, they're all still toddlers. I didn't want to write more if they all turned back to sixteen (although, Harry waking up in Snape's lap is really funny). So I'm thinking I'll go on with this story and have them all age a bit slower. Either I can hit on key ages or do a bit on every age. (Any votes?). I will most likely linger on the littler ages for longer, because they're just so cute and fun. Oh and for the record, all the children are exactly the same age (2 and 1 day by this point). I realize that originally, all the characters are months apart in age, but setting them all back to the same age simplifies matters. I plan on keeping them at the same age until perhaps when they get older, just so it's easier to keep track of all of them.

So who wants to see a daycare day? Or perhaps they (Minerva and others) force Snape into bringing the Harry and Draco outside with them? Fifteen toddlers equals a lot of possibilities…


	3. Toddler Fun

Chapter 3

Toddler Fun

xxxxx

Snape was up until nearly midnight organizing his potions ingredients. By the time he went to bed, he had rearranged the Armadillo Bile and Crocodile Parts several times. He was rather pleased with how his shelves had turned out. But he wouldn't know if it was perfect or not, until he had the opportunity to test it when he brewed.

Feeling rather exhausted, Snape fell asleep quickly. However, his sleep was anything but restful. His dreams were filled with two menacing toddlers and, for some reason, he couldn't keep them out of his potions lab. He woke with a start when he realized toddler Harry was lecturing him on the usefulness of a properly organized lab.

It took him a while to recognize that he was in fact awake and lying in his bed. Disoriented, he stared up at the ceiling wondering why there was a buzzing alarm going off at four in the morning. All at once, he remembered the two toddlers only a room away, one of whom was awake at the moment. Cursing Merlin, Snape laid back and hoped the noise would go away.

He was almost asleep—buzzing and all—until he remembered that the toddlers may not be toddlers anymore. In a flash, he was on his feet and dressed in his robes. Moments later, he was in their dimly lit room. From his vantage point, Snape could see the small body of his godson, snoring contently in his cot. All hope that the boys would be returned to their normal size disappeared.

With the exception of Draco's quiet snoring, the room was silent and he wondered why his alarm was going off. Looking over to Harry's bed, he was shocked to find the boy staring back at him, with tears streaking his cheeks.

Snape sighed. _Now what do I do?_

Taking a step further into the room, he saw the boy quickly lay back down. Standing over the cot, he watched Harry squeeze his eyes tightly shut, his tiny body trembling. Not knowing what else to do, Snape bent down and picked up the little boy. Initially, he couldn't tell if anything was wrong with him. Hoping not to disturb Draco, he carried Harry out into the common room.

Sitting Harry down on the couch, Snape took the opportunity to examine the child. "Tell me, Potter, what's wrong with you?"

In response, Harry tensed, his crying becoming odd hiccups as the boy tried to calm himself down.

"Harry?" Snape asked, feeling at a loss.

"Harry be good," the boy responded.

"Okay," Snape replied for lack of anything better to say.

Without warning, Harry flung himself towards the Potions Master, wrapping his little arms around the man's neck. Snape had to brace himself in order to keep from falling backwards.

"Harry be good," the boy repeated.

"All right," Snape responded. "In that case, you should go back to sleep."

Harry's grasp tightened as he said, "Kay."

Doubting he could pry the boy off of himself, Severus decided to sit down on the couch and wait for Harry to fall asleep. After a while, the tense body started to relax, but Snape could still feel Harry's death grip on his robes. Hoping to expedite the sleeping process, Snape started to pat the toddler's back.

Harry sighed.

Just when Snape thought the boy had finally fallen asleep, Harry spoke again, "Harry stay with Sev'vus?"

"Right, Harry," Snape replied uncomfortably. "You're staying with me." He felt a bit foolish, and thanked Merlin no one was there to witness this.

Harry's head popped up and looked Snape in the eye. "Harry stay with Sev'vus?" he repeated. Harry's big green eyes were completely filled with hope.

"Er, well—" Snape could not believe he was brought to speechlessness by a two year old. "Yes, Harry, you'll stay with me."

"No unki."

"Pardon?"

Harry scrunched his face, obviously trying to concentrate. "No uncle, an' antie, an' duddy. Harry stay with Sev'vus."

"Yes, Harry, you'll stay with me."

Harry's face broke into a huge grin as he leaned forward and kissed the ex-Death Eater on the cheek. It took all of Snape's control not to shudder and run off to wash his face. At the same time, as Harry laid his head back down on his shoulder, Snape vowed to keep his tiny ward safe. And when Harry finally returned to his sixteen year old form, he would question the boy about his family. He wouldn't allow Harry to return to his if what he suspected about his relatives was true.

Moments later, Snape was rewarded with the gentle sound of Harry's snores. He held the boy for a little bit longer._ To make sure he's actually asleep_, Snape told himself.

By the time Snape crawled back into bed, it was nearly five in the morning. He strongly doubted he'd be able to go back to sleep, that was, until he woke up two hours later.

Again, the buzzing alarm was going off, but this time it was accompanied by the cries of a child.

"Draco up," the boy shouted. "Draco waked up."

Muttering a few profanities, not fit for the ears of his two young wards, Snape got dressed. He vaguely wondered if Draco would ever tire and settle down. He doubted the boy had ever had to wait so long to get up. He knew the Malfoys had several house elves that would tend to the boy if needed.

So by the time Snape finally made it into the toddlers' room, Draco's face was bright red. Seeing Snape, his tears quickly changed into a huge smile.

"Uncle Sev'vus!"

Taking a thorough look at his godson, Snape realized the boy looked different. Lifting Draco from the cot, Snape saw that the boy was a little bigger. Most striking was that the boy seemed more proportional—his legs and arms were longer. His cubby baby face was skinnier, making him look more mature. Overall, Draco now appeared more like a boy than a toddler.

Quickly, Snape put Draco down and pulled out his wand. The boy stared back at him curiously, but stood still as Snape cast some age identification spells.

"Thirty months, two weeks and three days," Snape muttered to himself. If Snape were an optimistic man, he might have been pleased with the small amount of aging. At least it was something, and it confirmed his theory that the glass was helping to stabilize the potion's affect on the children. Instead, all that Snape could focus on was the fact that there was some other element at play with Neville's potion… _some other mistake the dunderhead had made_.

Before he realized it, his little brat of a godson had gone and woken up Harry. Now, in the light of the day (Snape's quarters were charmed to follow the natural lighting of the day… unless he specifically turned out the lights), Snape could see that Harry looked a little different too. The boy's face seemed a touch older and his limbs were longer. Rubbing his eyes, Harry stood up in his crib and gazed pleadingly over at the Potions Master.

"Boy waked up," Draco pointed out, in a commanding tone. His unspoken words "pick boy up," were quite clear from his demeanor.

Snape went over and picked the little toddler up. Harry's body felt the same weight as it had earlier in the night, so he decided to run age diagnostic tests on him as well. It the turned out that Harry was exactly the same age as Draco, further disconcerting the man. Lifting up the boy's pajama top, Snape could make out each and every one of Harry's ribs. The definition was so distinct that Snape actually felt angry seeing them.

Draco started to whine about being wet, bringing Snape back to the present. He had to get the boys dressed so they could all eat breakfast.

Checking the dresser, Snape gathered up fresh clothes and nappies for the boys. By now, Draco had given up waiting for Snape, stripping naked and disappearing into the bathroom. Sighing to himself, Snape followed after the boy, all the while dragging Potter who had latched on to the ends of his robe.

Entering the bathroom, Snape heard the toilet flushing and found a naked Draco washing his hands.

"You're toilet trained," Snape commented.

Draco looked up, and turned up his nose when he saw the man holding a nappy.

"Draco big boy. Draco wear pants," The toddler responded.

Snape nodded and then turned to his other young ward. "Harry, do you wear pants now too?"

The black-haired boy looked back at him blankly.

Going back into the bedroom, Snape looked through the dresser again. Harry, still holding onto the man's robes, followed. Draco strolled along casually behind them. Snape found a pair of pants and helped Draco get dressed.

Next, Snape bent down and pulled Harry off of his robes. He then presented the boy with options. "Do you wear pants," he asked, holding up the aforementioned article, "or do you wear nappies?"

Harry looked at both, as if assessing a complicated problem. He looked towards the pants and then towards Draco. "Harry big boy," the toddler said quietly.

Despite himself, Snape smirked. He was rather pleased to have two toilet-trained boys rather than having to deal with the nappies. In response, Harry smiled brightly, his whole face beaming with joy.

After dressing Harry, they all made their way out to the table. Breakfast was waiting for them. Snape was pleased to note a regular meal with eggs, toast, and bacon. Aside from having to remind Harry to use his utensils, the meal went without incident. Snape was even surprised at how easy it was to get Harry to drink the nutritional potion. Of course, that likely had to do with the fact Harry would eat anything.

Breakfast done, Snape sent the children back into their room and hoped the boys could entertain themselves.

Sitting back down at the table, he got to work. He had research to do, in order to further understand what went wrong with Neville's potion. He also had another stack of essays to grade as well as lesson plans to refine for the next week. Hopefully the toddlers would be back to their sixteen year old selves by Monday. But considering that Monday was only a day away, that was highly unlikely to occur.

Come Monday, his boys would be in for a bit of a shock. Snape was accustomed to waking early and preparing his classroom well before breakfast—students took for granted the fact that all the ingredients and supplies were close at hand. Snape just hoped that this werewolf-run nursery school was up and operating early enough.

As much as Snape tried to be angry about Lupin being brought back into the school, he really couldn't. The thought of inflicting the man with fifteen toddlers was too amusing.

Speaking of toddlers, Snape looked up to see Draco trying to pull the plastic climbing structure out of his room. The boy was clearly flushed from the effort and growing increasingly frustrated as he couldn't get it out the door.

"Draco," Snape called. "What are you doing?"

"Draco pull dis out," the boy explained, not bothering to pause in his efforts.

"Put it back," Snape commanded.

"Draco wan—"

"No, Draco," Snape said a bit more firmly. "Put it back."

Draco stood there for a moment, obviously deciding whether or not to comply. It didn't take long for his face to drop and his bottom lip to protrude. The threat of an impending tantrum lingered for a while, until the Floo flared up, distracting them both.

"May we come down, Severus?" the headmaster asked.

"That depends on who _we_ refers too."

"Oh, just Poppy and I," Albus responded.

"Very well," Snape complied.

"And Minerva as well," Dumbledore added as he stepped through the Floo.

Snape scowled.

"And, of course, her little wards." This was spoken a bit quieter, while the old man was facing the opposite direction.

Snape almost missed it, but he didn't. The man was on his feet within seconds. "No, Albus, no more brats. I've got enough as it is."

During his protests, Poppy stepped through the Floo carrying one of the brats. _Granger_, Snape recognized. The girl's ridiculously frizzy hair was suspended by numerous colored barrettes. Snape was surprised to note the girl's red and puffy eyes. _Granger had been crying for quite some time._

The girl looked around the room and broke out in tears. "Mummy," she called. "Daddy."

Snape pinched his nose. "Albus, please."

Minerva stepped through the Floo with the other brat. Snape continued his protests, but they fell on deaf ears. Instead, everyone was cooing over the cute little brats as they mingled on the floor.

"You forgot one," Snape snapped in irritation.

"Seamus is with Remus for the morning," Madame Pomfrey replied pleasantly. "He offered to watch the boy while I went and examined all the toddlers."

"It seems they've all aged an extra two weeks and six months," Minerva added with excitement. She seemed overly optimistic, as if this small aging was a breakthrough.

"Yes," Snape snapped, growing irritated. "Unfortunately, they are still toddlers."

"No doubt you're working on an antidote," Albus said in a chipper tone. The old man even had the audacity to give Snape a patronizing pat on the back.

"Indeed," Snape growled, wanting nothing more then to shout and rave at them all until they disappeared from his private chambers. He knew his efforts wouldn't have any effect, though. Unfortunately, all the staff present still regarded him with memories from his days as a student. It seemed not even joining the Dark Lord and becoming a horrible murderer could change their image of him. Although, if he really thought about it, that actually made Snape feel better.

"I will miss the toddlers when they grow big," Minerva mused. "They really are cute at this age."

Snape snorted.

After the witches had put the girls down, Draco, ever the gentleman, came up and introduced himself. "Me, Draco Ma'foy," he said, holding up his hand.

Hermione stared at him, sniffling. Pansy stepped in, pushing the other girl out of the way. "Pansy Park'n son," she said with a big smile.

"Come play toys," Draco continued, grabbing Hermione by the hand and pulling her over to the play room.

The adults—minus Snape—all cooed "aw" at the boy.

Draco stopped at the door, confused by the structure blocking the way. "You wait," he told the girls, before he walked over to clear the pathway.

"So, where's Harry?" Minerva asked.

At that, Snape got a little nervous. He knew the boy was his room, but it had been quite some since he'd heard any noise from him. _How could he explain to the headmaster that Harry was particularly easy to lose? _Attempting to appear casual, Snape rushed to the boy's doorway. With a quick scan of the room, he saw the boy sitting in front of a pile of blocks.

Harry was diligently placing one block on top of the other. He was so focused on the task that he didn't even notice the others until Snape spoke.

"As you can see," Snape drawled, "both Draco and Potter are unharmed." The man was delighted to see how Harry ran and clung to his side, obviously nervous around the crowd. _Let Albus and Minerva see how their golden-Gryffindor clings to the nasty head of Slytherin._ Snape looked up to gloat and was met by the headmaster's twinkling eyes_. Oh, wait, no,_ he thought, _I don't like the boy_. He scowled, fighting the urge to swat the toddler away.

Then Snape remembered something, making him smirk internally. That would wipe Albus' smug look off of his old face. "The boy is not well," Snape said calmly, trying to sound indifferent. "He has obviously been neglected."

"Oh," Albus responded. The man sounded a bit concerned, but at the same time, not quite convinced that what Snape said was true.

"See for yourself," Snape continued. He bent down and pulled Harry's robes open.

Both Minerva and Poppy gasped.

"That's worse than before," the Mediwitch said, leaning down to perform a few diagnostic charms.

Meanwhile, Minerva had turned and begun scolding the Headmaster. "I told you, Albus. I told you not to leave Harry with his relatives." Minerva used a tone that she reserved for times when she was really angry. Snape had been on the receiving end of that tone only three times in his life—twice as a student and the memories still made him wince. He almost felt guilty for turning Minerva loose on the old man. She continued her tirade even while Madame Pomfrey explained her findings to Snape.

"Harry is extremely malnourished," Madame Pomfrey said. "He needs plenty of food along with as many nutritive potions as he can handle." She paused, and stared at Snape, as if assessing the man. "I will be back soon to check on him again. If he hasn't improved, I will move him to the hospital wing for closer observation." Snape nodded. As the woman went to examine Draco, Snape realized that if he weren't a skilled Potions Master, Poppy probably would have insisted he hand Harry over.

Distracted, he allowed the distressed toddler to snake his way into his arms. Standing up, Snape wasn't really cognizant of the fact he was holding the boy and gently patting his back.

After Poppy finished her examination, she and the other adults stepped out of the room to talk. Snape stayed behind, consumed by his godson's actions. Draco had managed to distract Granger from her crying and the two girls sat around the miniature table. Draco, meanwhile, was pretending to serve the girls food. Snape knew that both Narcissa and Lucius would be shocked to find their boy mimicking a house elf. Draco Malfoy, soul heir to the Malfoy name—playing house elf to a muggleborn.

Suddenly Snape looked up and noticed the adults were gone. He plucked Harry off of his shoulder and set the boy on the ground. "You go play," he directed, pushing Harry towards the other toddlers.

Harry, extremely reluctant, obeyed.

Satisfied, Snape turned—as usual, with the dramatic swish of his robes—and joined the other adults.

Minerva was still yelling.

"Lily and James trusted you to care for their son," she carried on.

_They also trusted Pettigrew_, Snape thought. He decided, smartly so, to keep his comments to himself. Snape did, however, chance a look towards the headmaster's face. What he saw made him instantly feel guilty. The twinkle was gone, and however irritating the twinkle was, it's absence left the man looking empty.

"When Harry came to Hogwarts," Minerva continued, "do you remember how he looked?"

Snape did. The boy was a small and scrawny replica of the elder Potter, except James Potter had never been categorized as small and scrawny, even at eleven. James Potter had always been of moderate height, a perfect pureblood boy. If any child had been described as small and scrawny… that would have been Severus Snape.

Albus looked around the room, making eye contact with Snape. The Potions Master recognized the pleading look. It was the same as when Snape had finally told him of his own childhood. Albus was begging for forgiveness. As leader of the light side, Albus played father to many. He was responsible for so many things_...too many things_. And sometimes, things were overlooked.

"He didn't want to leave for the summer," Albus finally said. "He asked to stay at Hogwarts."

Snape remembered hearing those words before. Albus had spoken them, in confidence, after the Dark Lord's return. The old man felt responsible for "losing" the boy. Snape shuddered at the thought of someone calling the Dark Lord a boy.

"What's done is done," Snape heard himself saying. These were the words Albus had spoken to him, the night Snape had confessed his involvement with the Dark Lord. "All we can do is move on from here." Snape blushed when he noticed the others were staring at him oddly. The words were too optimistic and _sentimental_… he wished he hadn't said them. "Now, move on to some other toddlers," Snape scowled, tying to regain some semblance of dignity.

They continued staring at him for a moment. Minerva was the first to smile and then Madame Pomfrey. Snape felt his anger boiling, and he had a strong urge—once again—to shout and rage until the occupants left his private quarters. His one conciliation, however, was that Albus' twinkle had returned.

"He's right," Madame Pomfrey said. "We need to hurry up with our examination of the toddlers. Just in case there have been any complications."

The group of adults all congregated near the Floo. Snape nearly panicked. "You're forgetting something," he said, motioning to the toddler room.

"Oh, that reminds me," Minerva said. "Severus, could you watch Hermione and Pansy for me? We should only be an hour or so."

"Absolutely not," Snape snapped.

"Surely you—"

"No!" Snape yelled. At the same time, Madame Pomfrey had stepped through the Floo.

"Sever—"

"I said no."

"Severus," Albus stepped in. "We won't be long."

Snape opened his mouth to protest. A crying interrupted him; it sounded like a girl. As he turned towards the room, Minerva stepped through the Floo. Before the Headmaster left, Snape asked, "Albus, please?"

"You'll be fine, my boy," Albus responded, just before he too stepped through the Floo.

"Albus!" he shouted, but it was too late… the man was gone.

Muttering profanities for the second time that day, Snape made his way to the toddlers' room. The sight was shocking. Buckets of toys had been scattered across the floor. Snape didn't even realize the room held so many objects. It had only been a few minutes that the children were alone.

Granger sat bawling. Parkinson was nearby, ripping apart a book. Draco was trying to distract Granger by bringing toy after toy and offering them to the girl. And Potter… _where was Potter?_ The boy, sucking his thumb, was standing in the farthest corner—as if to get as far away as possible. _My sentiments exactly_, Snape thought.

"Parkinson," Snape snapped, rounding on the girl. "You stop that." Crouching down, he pulled the book from the girl's arms… after a little resistance.

"I want my mummy!" Parkinson yelled.

"Your mother is not here," Snape shouted back. "Now you will behave yourself or face the consequences."

"Here go, Mine'e," Draco said as he carried over a container of brightly colored blocks.

"No, Draco," Snape shouted as the boy upended the container. He was too late, however, as the blocks fell to the ground. "Pick them up," Snape snapped at the blond. Draco, with a little pout, started to obey.

Looking up, Snape realized that Parkinson had wandered off. The girl was now trying to climb up the large dresser. Growling, Snape stood up and walked over to Parkinson. "Down," he ordered.

Pansy, clinging tightly to two handles, her feet not so steady on the small lip at the base of the dresser, did not respond.

With a sigh, Snape grabbed the girl under her armpits and lifted. After some resistance, Snape managed to pluck her off. "Do not climb on the furniture," Snape said as he set the girl on the ground. Within moments of making contact with the floor, Pansy was off in some other direction.

Satisfied that the girl wasn't about to climb, Snape turned back to Draco. The boy had picked up a few blocks, maybe a couple handfuls. Now distracted, the blond had made his way across the room and was riffling through a pile of stuffed toys.

"She broked the book," Granger said, her voice full of sorrow. She held up crinkled pages, no doubt remnants of said book.

Snape, in an effort to get the girl to shut up, performed a simple repairing charm. The book, _Calie's Cauldron_, was as good as new. Hermione gladly took the book back and sat down to "read."

"Mine," Draco shouted, drawing Snape attention.

"Mine," Parkinson shouted back. Both toddlers had a firm grip on some pink stuffed thing. The children leaned back, trying to pull with all their might.

"Draco! Pansy!" Snape yelled, trying to garner their attention.

It didn't help, however, and before Snape could react, Draco pushed Pansy. The girl fell backward and Draco was able to claim the prize.

Before he could intervene, Snape was once again distracted by a movement near the door. Turning completely, he caught sight of a poof of hair, just as Granger left the room. "Granger," he called.

Muttering profanities yet again, Snape made his way to find the girl. Walking out into his common area, he saw Granger across the room. _For short legs, the girl did move fast._ Of all places, she headed directly for the potions lab.

"Granger," Snape called more sharply.

Still the girl ignored him as she slipped easily into his lab_—when did he leave the door open?—_he quickened his pace.

"Hermione," he shouted, just as the girl reached out to a brightly colored bottle.

This finally got the girl's attention and she pulled her hand away.

"No," Snape continued. "You don't belong in here."

"Pretty," she said, pointed at the bottle.

"Yes, well, nevertheless, you belong in the other room," Snape said, feeling uncomfortable yet again.

"Where mummy an' daddy?" she asked calmly, yet her eyes showed a bit of fear.

"They're—"

Suddenly, Snape heard a cry of pain coming from the toddlers' room. It was unmistakably Draco. In one swift motion, Snape picked up Granger and sprinted off to help the boy.

Entering the room, Snape noticed Parkinson strut by carrying the pink toy, with a pleased look on her face. Draco wasted no time in trotting over to show his wound. Snape put Hermione down, so that he could look at it.

"Owie," Draco said, holding out his right arm.

Snape noticed a bit of discoloration in the sleeve of the boy's robe. Fearing the boy might be bleeding; he pulled the sleeve back. He was not expecting to see what he did. On the boy's arm, were two semi-circle marks, each with little indents in the skin. It took a moment for Snape to recognize the pattern… _a mouth_. "She bit you?" Snape asked.

"Panzy bited me," Draco whimpered, trying to climb into Snape's arms.

"Pansy Parkinson," Snape snapped.

The girl looked up at him with uncertainty.

Before Snape could scold the girl, he noticed Potter. The boy, who had formally stayed in his corner, had now toddled over to his cot. Unable to reach his stuffed owl, Harry had pulled the cot over to the chair. Currently he stood on the chair's armrest, leaning over to get his stuffed bird.

"Harry Potter," Snape shouted.

Startled, the boy scrambled a bit… to do what, Snape didn't know. The result, however, sent Harry falling headfirst into his cot. For a while, Snape stared blankly as the boy didn't move. Harry's skinny little body was unlikely to withstand much force… and the way Harry's neck bent when he fell…Snape briefly wondered what the consequences would be if the boy-who-lived, ended up dying while in his care. Right after he thought that, the boy's hand shot out and grabbed the stuffed toy.

With a sigh, Snape realized the boy was fine. His relief didn't last long, though, as he turned back to the other toddlers. Pansy had found some sort of coloring stick and was now decorating the walls. Draco had pushed a pile of the stuffed toys over to the climbing structure and was now ready to jump. Hermione had somehow managed to find the noisiest two toys and was now banging them together, while at the same time singing loudly.

"STOP!" Snape shouted.

All the children in the room froze.

"You all will stop what you're doing now!" he raged—Snape wasn't a widely feared death eater for nothing. His voice became quieter, but the tone deadlier. "You all have three minutes to clean up and get this room back in order. If you even think of misbehaving, I'm sure your little fingers and toes would make wonderful additions to my ingredient stocks." They all stared at him in shock; no one moved. "Now!"

Again, silence. But this time it was different—Snape could feel it. Something was hanging in the air, like just before a storm broke or a battle began. All at once, chaos ensued. Granger and Parkinson started to bawl. Their cries quickly turned into high-pitched wails—a sound likely to drive anyone mad. Draco, too, was crying, although somewhat quieter. Harry, still in his crib, was silently crying while sucking his thumb.

Fighting the urge to scream, or perhaps bang his head into wall, Snape paused to think of what to do. He tried to remember what Narcissa used to do when Draco was in this state. The first idea that came to mind was candy. Draco always shut up for candy—or perhaps a new toy. Having neither, Snape looked towards the boy. "What now?" he asked. The words seemed fuel the toddlers' sobs, as forlorn cries for mummy and daddy joined the tears.

Snape grasped his wand. Years of study, and yet he knew no magic to calm their cries. Yes, there were silencing spells and even paralyzing charms—all of which could get him into trouble. Snape mentally contemplated every possible calming potion. None could be used on a toddler…unless the situation was extreme. Snape looked up towards the ceiling, _what did Narcissa do?_ Surely she didn't give Draco candy all the time; the boy would be fat.

Suddenly, Snape remembered. _An elf_, Narcissa would call a house elf. His hope was further increased when Sanpe recalled which house elf the woman would call. _Dobby_. Best of all, the irritating elf was on hand, here at Hogwarts.

Without further hesitation, Snape called, "Dobby."

Seconds later the elf popped into the room. "Sir, you is asking for Dobby?" The little elf looked around the room with uncertainty.

"Could you shut them up?"

"Dobby is not wanting to harm the little masters."

"Entertain them perhaps," Snape added. His head was pounding now—he needed a headache draught, _fast_.

"Dobby is knowing what to do," the elf replied. "Master Professor Snape is needing to relax."

"Yes," Snape said, taking uneasy steps towards the door. He wasn't so sure if he should be leaving the children just now… but he couldn't stay. Heading straight to the potions lab, Snape found the strongest draught he had on hand. The effects were quick and wonderful. But even so, Snape was unable to compel himself to return. Instead, he waited in the darkness for the screaming to stop. It had only been twenty minutes since Minerva and Albus had abandoned him. _Someone wasn't going to make it, _Snape realized. Either he'd kill one of them, or he'd kill himself…_ Merlin, why would anyone have a child?_

After five minutes, the crying stopped. It was five more minutes before Snape decided it was safe to check on them.

Dobby had worked wonders. The room was clean and the toddlers were all entertained. They each were sitting down at a small round table and were coloring with the special sticks. Even Harry had been rescued from his crib and joined in.

To be safe, Snape decided to sit on the chair in the boy's room while he read the latest Potion Journal. Just in case Minerva, Albus, and Madame Pomfrey returned, he would be ready. The children played quietly, the loudest noise was an occasional giggle. Snape didn't know what the elf had done, but whatever it was, he was grateful.

Snape barely noticed the time pass as he got rather enthralled in the journal. After a while, Harry had come over and crawled into his lap.

"Dobby is having to go cook lunch," the elf announced. "Dobby is leaving bubbles for little masters. If Master Professor Snape is needing Dobby, call and Dobby is coming."

Feeling a little panicked, Snape almost protested. But the elf had charmed bubbles to fall from the ceiling and this had the children's complete attention. Holding his tongue, Snape continued to read as the elf popped away.

Less than three minutes later, the Floo flared up. "May we come down my dear boy?" Albus called.

"You may," Snape called back.

The look on Minvera's face when she entered the room was priceless. Snape had to fight the urge to look smug. Rather, he maintained his casual appearance.

"I'm rather impressed, Severus," Minerva commented. "I expected the toddlers would have ripped you to pieces by now."

"And yet you left them with me?" Snape replied. "As you can see, I managed just fine."

"Yes, perhaps I can use you as a sitter in the future."

Snape scowled.

"We were later than I expected," Albus said. "For that I do apologize."

"I was worried about Vincent and Gregory," Madame Pomfrey said pleasantly. "The boys were backed up. Turns out that was a result of too many rock cakes."

"I did not need to know that," Snape replied.

"Have you made any progress on a cure?"

_Why yes_, Snape thought. _While I was caring for four children, I had ample time to begin a complicated research project._ Snape settled for a glare and it seemed Albus got the point.

"Yes, I'm sure you're doing well," Albus said. "If you can manage a break, this afternoon we're going to organize a picnic out at the lake. It would be good for the children to get out and breathe some fresh air."

Snape scowled.

"I'll be in my office if you need any help," Albus continued.

Snape nodded, knowing full well he'd never go to this picnic.

"Good day," Minerva and Madame Pomfrey chimed.

"Well, we should be going too," Minerva said. "Come along Pansy, Hermione."

Snape stood up to walk them to the Floo. Draco and Harry followed.

"Is mummy here?" Hermione asked with a whine.

"Mummy come?" Pansy added.

"Not yet I'm afraid," Minerva responded.

Both girls started to whimper. Snape smirked as the witches left… _Minerva would have her hands full_.

Once the extraneous people were gone, Snape turned back to his two young wards. He was hoping to usher them back into their room. He wondered just how long the bubbles would entertain them. His plans changed, however.

Harry stood there, looking down. Snape was confused for a moment, wondering what had startled the boy so. Following Harry's gaze, Snape noticed the problem at once. A small puddle was collecting at the boy's feet.

Snape turned up his nose; this was absolutely disgusting.

xxxxx

A few minutes later, Snape was filling the tub. He had performed a cleaning charm on the spot, but the boy didn't seem clean enough. _Pee running down Harry's leg_, Snape shuddered. The fact Harry urinated on the floor wasn't what was really troubling the man. It was the thought that Potter had been a ticking time bomb all morning. The boy could have peed anywhere, on his lap even. And so, he scolded the boy.

"You lied to me," Snape lectured, ignoring the boy's quiet sobs. "You are not toilet trained. You could have peed anywhere. Are you an animal, Potter?" He turned to the boy, who had pressed himself into the corner. "Off with your robes, you need a bath."

Harry looked sad and scared, but all Snape saw was the unmoving boy. With a sigh, he reached out and started pulling off the robes.

"No!" Harry shouted. Despite his fear, the boy wouldn't go without a fight. Even as Snape put Harry into the water, the boy's arms were flailing. The tiny toddler also managed to land a slap right on Snape's nose.

The man ignored the boy's struggles, all through cleaning and redressing—this instance in a nappy. By the time Snape was done, he finally noticed the look of devastation in Harry's eyes. It was as if in one moment, Harry'd lost everything. There was fear, too, and a hint of anger.

"If you want to wear pants," Snape explained, speaking calmly now, "then you need to use the toilet."

Harry didn't respond, rather he sucked in air in great big gasps. It was then Snape felt a bit guilty about his reaction.

With a sigh, Snape got up and returned to his journal. There wasn't really anything he could to help Potter and he figured the boy could cope.

Meanwhile, Draco was busy entertaining himself with the bubbles.

Eventually, the sniffling from Harry went away. The boy got up and retrieved his stuffed owl. Obviously still upset, Harry wandered over and sat near Snape's feet.

Annoyed—and feeling guilty, yet unwilling to admit it—Snape got up and went into his common room. His intention was to find a couple of his latest texts that addressed deaging potions. Since the topic was not an interest of his, he had to scan the index of several books that might cover it. The effort was tedious and he all but forgot about his young wards.

"Mine," he heard one shout. It sounded like Potter, but the voice was quite strong and commanding. Thus far, Harry had been a fairly meek child, nothing like his teenage self.

"Mine," a voice, clearly Draco's, shouted back.

Snape made his way over to the toddler's room, wanting to see what the fuss was about.

Draco had his arms outstretched trying to take the stuffed owl from Harry. The raven-haired boy was having none off it, his grasp holding tight. Changing tactics, Draco reached for Harry's hair and gave it a sharp tug. Harry winced, but instantly fought back, shoving Draco to the ground.

As soon as the blond made contact with the floor, he let out a wail. However, Snape was sure the boy was unharmed.

"Draco," Snape warned, ready to tell the boy he was fine. He stopped speaking when Harry looked at him in horror. Quickly the little boy handed off his owl to Draco, almost flinging it in his haste to give it up.

All at once, Snape realized why Harry had been acting so weak. _He believes I favor Draco, _Snape thought. While that may be true, he always did care for his godson more than most, he would never allow the spoilt brat to beat Harry up. _Perhaps I was a little lenient yesterday… no more._

Snape leaned down and took the owl out of Draco's hands. Ignoring his godson's protests, Snape turned to Harry. "This is your toy, Harry." The little pint-sized Potter clutched his owl close. He turned back to Draco. "You had better stop being a bully, or you will be one sorry Draco Malfoy."

"Me want it," Draco said, stomping his foot for emphasis.

"No!" Snape snapped.

Draco kept his mouth shut.

"Now—" Snape started.

He was interrupted when Harry suddenly launched himself at the man. The tiny little boy wrapped his arms around Snape with a surprisingly strong force.

Patting Harry atop the head, Snape said, "Are you finally done sulking about the nappie?" There was a subtle nod. "Then it's time for lunch." _And then a nap…_

xxxxx

It had been surprisingly easy to get the boys down for their nap. Draco had insisted on sleeping in a big boy bed, so he was compliant after Snape had transfigured the cots into two toddler-sized beds. Harry did whatever Draco did, minus the fits. When Draco insisted he needed to "go potty" before bed, Harry followed. Faced with the toilet, Harry had no idea what to do and just stood there half naked. If wanting were enough, Snape was sure Harry'd have no problem. Clearly the boy was willing with all his might for some sort of stream to escape his body. Again, when Snape had insisted Harry pull up his nappy, the boy got a devastated look on his face.

For two and one quarter glorious hours, Snape was toddler free. He spent that time researching various mistakes Neville may have made. Going through the steps of the potion once more, Snape noticed that stirring counterclockwise instead of clockwise might have caused the gradual reaging. If this was the case, then everyday, the toddlers would age another six months. Quickly calculating, Snape realized it would be 27-28 days for everyone to return to their proper age. In fact, within seventeen days, the children would be back to eleven. Surely then the headmaster would allow them all to return to their dormitories...

Busy contemplating life without toddlers, Snape nearly walked over one of them.

"Hi," Harry said, wiping his eye with one hand while clutching his owl in the other. "Harry waked up."

"Yes," Snape drawled, "apparently. Come Potter, you can have more of your special potion."

Harry sat in his highchair for a while, greedily gulping down his potion. Snape had the forethought to add some stomach calming draughts in it, lest the boy make himself sick from over-eating. By the time he was finished, Draco, too, had woken up.

Snape and Harry went into the room, after the boy had announced his wakeful status.

"I go potty, now," Draco informed them.

Harry followed suit. In the bathroom, Draco used the facilities with experienced ease, while Harry struggled to pull down his nappy.

Snape was helping Draco reach the towel to dry his hands when he heard Harry gasp. The little boy was finally successful in his urinating endeavor. In his excitement, Harry looked up proudly to Snape. Because of this, he managed to pee all over the toilet and on the stone floor.

"Yay," Draco said, clapping his hands, obviously mimicking praise he had once received.

Snape, fully occluding, held back his strong feeling of disgust and tried to show a modicum of support. "Well, Potter, you've managed to pee. I would hope next time you might get some in the toilet."

"Kay!" Harry replied, his excitement not wavering in the least.

Quickly, Snape cleaned the room with a fair number of the strongest sanitizing spells he knew. In that time, Harry had pulled off his nappy and looked expectedly towards Snape.

"Not yet, Harry," Snape replied.

Harry looked disappointed and perhaps ready to protest. Snape ignored him, and helped the boy back into the training nappy.

"I peed," Harry said quietly.

"Yes, Harry, you did," Snape said. "But you will not be running around my private chambers in pants just yet." He pulled out his wand and said a charm. "Now if the nappy stays dry for the rest of the day, I'll let you try pants tomorrow."

"Kay," Harry replied, obviously disappointed.

"Draco hungry," the boy announced, "time to eat."

"Perhaps a snack," Snape muttered. Draco's demanding was starting to get old.

As he helped Harry wash his hands, Snape couldn't help but notice how many things Draco could do that Harry didn't. Despite his negative thoughts towards the boy, he never figured Harry was actually daft. Sure he knew toilet training was not exactly a measure of intelligence, but why couldn't the boy wash his hands on his own. Harry's movements were clumsy, especially things involving intricate hand coordination. And Harry was so inept around the other children, it seemed as though he didn't have any social skills. _They're only two and a half_, Snape reminded himself.

xxxxx

That afternoon, Snape had completely forgotten about the picnic… not that he'd go anyway. Presently, he was sitting at the table, once again grading essays. Draco and Harry were playing nearby, each having smuggled some toy out from their room. Thus far, the toys had been kept to a minimum, so Snape allowed them to play in the common room.

"Hi," he heard Harry say.

Looking up from a second year Hufflepuff's drivel, Snape spotted Harry facing away, couched low. Leaning to the side, Snape tried to catch a glimpse of what Harry was looking at. Suddenly, the boy got on all fours and crawled across the room a bit.

"Hi, 'pider," Harry said. "My name Harry."

Snape snorted, barely withholding an uncharacteristic laugh.

"Hi," Harry said again, almost as if he was waiting for the spider to reply. "Want come play, 'pider?"

Snape returned to his pile of essays, somewhat listening as Harry continued to converse with the spider. Soon the boy's language had slipped into toddler jargon, interspersed with an occasional "hi."

Suddenly, Snape heard a stomping sound, followed quickly by Harry's anguished cry, "NO!" He looked up in time to see Harry roughly push a smug looking Draco. All at once, Snape realized what had happened. There on the floor, was a squished spider.

Livid, Snape got up without thinking. He smacked Draco on the butt and then summoned a chair from the boy's room. "That's it, Draco!" Snape shouted. "You can sit here until you're done being a brat." Setting the chair down into the corner, Snape placed his godson on it. Draco was bawling and got up as soon as Snape stood up. "No!" Snape snapped. He sat Draco down again, this time applying a sticking charm to the boy so he couldn't get up.

Returning to Harry, who was now wracked with grief, Snape tried to think of what to do.

As soon as the man got close, Harry reached up and grabbed Snape's wanded hand. "Make…'pider… better," Harry sobbed.

"Harry," Snape said as he knelt down, "it doesn't work that way." Harry cried a little harder. "The spider is dead."

With that, Harry crumpled into Snape's arms, obviously overcome with grief. Snape knew toddlers could be irrational, but at the same time Harry's reaction was enlightening. The boy was so clingy and filled with devotion. Snape could only imagine a teenage Potter's feelings when Black had died. He caught himself wondering if anyone had been there when Harry cried.

Sitting down on the couch, Snape gently patted Harry's back until the sobs died down. It was then he heard Draco's cries, sounding almost as mournful as Harry.

"I s-sowwy, Sev'vus," Draco bawled. "Draco… sowwy." More sobs. "Draco never skish spider 'gain."

Snape almost rolled his eyes. He'd finally taught his godson a lesson… Raising his wand, Snape said the countercurse allowing Draco freedom. Immediately, the boy came running over, climbed onto the couch and latched himself onto Snape's free side.

"You know you did that on purpose to torment Harry," Snape scolded. "You were just being a bully."

Draco squirmed his way onto Snape's lap, causing Harry to start crying again. Each boy maneuvered for their own spot secure on each side of Snape. The cries grew in intensity as if each were fighting to sound the most sorrowful.

"Boys," Snape said, trying to figure out what to do.

Harry reached up a free hand and swatted at Draco's head. "My Sev'vus," he said.

Draco followed suit and said, "No, my Sev'vus."

"Mine!"

"MINE!"

"BOYS!" Snape shouted over both of them. Harry and Draco grew quiet, but their grips around his neck tightened.

"How would you like to go to the lake?" Snape asked, the first idea popping into his head.

"Lake?" Draco sniffed.

"Yes, the headmaster has organized a picnic," Snape continued. He already regretted mentioning it.

"Draco play in water?"

"Yes," Snape sighed, "I suppose."

"Kay!" Draco replied. He was still sniffling, but his tone and body language grew positive.

"Harry come to?"

"Yes."

"Kay."

xxxxx

Twenty minutes later, Snape had both of the boys dressed and ready to go to the lake. They had both used the toilet, Harry a bit more proficiently than he had before. In the dresser, Snape found two pairs of swim trunks and robes made out of terrycloth. Snape was beginning to wonder where Albus had gotten the dresser, for it seemed to hold everything that he needed. And even though Draco was undoubtedly taller than he was the day before, the robes all still fit to a perfect length.

Leaving his quarters, Snape briefly wondered how he'd get the two boys down to the lake in a reasonable amount of time. He'd rather they walked than lug them around, but at a toddler pace it'd be Monday before they made it.

In a moment of inspiration, Snape pulled out his wand. A simple levitation spell later, Draco and Harry were floating alongside him. Both wore huge grins on their faces as they flew through the air.

"Weeee!" Draco squealed.

Harry held out his arms, "I flying."

Snape was able to walk at a quicker pace as the toddlers giggled above him.

Any and all positive thoughts that may have passed through Snape's mind quickly vanished as he caught sight of the lake. He'd forgotten just how many toddlers there were until he saw them all scrambling around the grounds. Just as bad were all the adults and teens that accompanied the toddlers. Both Lupin and Hagrid were dressed in ridiculous bathing suits as they helped the children wade through the water. The air was filled with giggles, gossip, and all around chipper attitudes, making Snape feel even sourer.

Getting closer to the lake, Snape stepped past a ward that was obviously for weather control. Inside the bubble, the air was much warmer, making for perfect swimming conditions. Snape loathed the heat and longed to return to his dark dungeons. Spotting a blanket—a black blanket—well away from the others, Snape decided to sit over there.

Lowering the boys to the ground, Snape helped Draco and Harry to get out of their robes. It was still sickening to see Harry's bare chest, but he could see a minor improvement. Even in less than one day, the nutritive potions worked fast.

"Go play," Snape directed.

Draco didn't need any other instruction. He made a beeline directly for the water, not even pausing when he made contact with its cooler temperature. Of course, knowing the headmaster, the lake had probably been charmed warmer as well.

Harry, on the other hand, stayed put and sucked his thumb.

"Harry, you should go play," Snape said again. _While you have the chance,_ he thought. He already decided he'd leave if any of the toddlers decided to wander over…or any of the teens… or any of the staff for that matter. Twenty minutes was enough time—or ten.

The boy started to take steps towards the lake, so Snape proceeded to clear his mind. He decided to Occlude completely, pushing out all of his thoughts. In this state, he would see nothing, hear nothing, and feel nothing. Although he appeared fully cognizant of the surroundings, in truth he only saw darkness. Not that he would ever leave himself vulnerable; his unconscious mind was still watching for danger. He was so well trained in occlumancy that he could complete blank out the world and think of nothing. But at the drop of a hat, at any sign of danger, he would be back to the present.

It was this unconscious thought that prevented him from fully occluding, _Potter was still lingering near_.

Looking around, Snape didn't spot the boy, but he thought Harry was close. Scanning the waterline, Snape saw Draco being flung up into the air by Lupin. Draco squealed with joy as he splashed down into the water and then immediately floated to the surface. Goyle was next and, surprisingly, Lupin managed to toss the boy—a little bit… A few toddler girls floated by, all held up by brightly colored plastic things that seemed to resemble the shape of animals. Snape easily recognized a poof of hair as Granger walked along the shoreline, picking up stones and sticking them in her mouth. A gaggle of toddlers ran by, all chasing after a big red ball. An even larger group of teenage girls followed behind them, cooing along the way. _But where was Potter?_

A slight shift in the blankets and Snape knew where the boy was.

"Harry, I know you're behind me," Snape said. "Go play."

The blanket shuffled again.

"Harry—"

More movement, the subtle sound of footprints and then Harry stopped.

Snape sighed.

Turning around, Snape saw the boy sitting directly behind him. "Why won't you go play?" Snape asked, letting his annoyance be heard.

Harry ducked his head down, lip protruding… as though he might cry. A bit concerned—Snape really didn't want the boy to make a scene—he said, "Oh, come here."

Not needing further incentive, Harry ran over to Snape and climbed into the man's lap. Hoping the others were all distracted, Snape allowed the boy to stay. Once again attempting to clear his mind, Snape saw blackness. The constant shifting form in his lap never allowed him to completely let go.

"What is it, Potter," Snape asked, still rather irritated. He looked down towards his young ward as Harry gazed out towards the lake in awe. "Do you want to go swimming with Draco?"

Harry nodded.

"Just go."

Harry tensed.

Snape sighed. "Will you go if I take you?"

Harry nodded.

Begrudgingly, Snape stood up and walked with Harry down to the water's edge. On his face, he fixed his nastiest of glares, daring any student or faculty member to coo in his general direction.

Near the water, Harry released Snape and walked to the shallow edge. Jumping up and down, Harry splashed like a crazed animal. He looked up at Snape, his eyes fixed with wonder. Potter continued to splash and walk around, every now and then stooping down to take a closer look. Snape absently contemplated whether or not this was Harry's first time at seeing a lake. By the boy's reaction, he would have guessed so.

While Harry was distracted, Snape tried to take a few steps back towards his area. It seemed that no mater how distracted Harry got, the boy would instantly be aware if Snape moved. In a flash, Harry was back, clutching to Snape's robes.

"I'm not going to leave you, Harry," Snape said again and again, wishing there was some way to convince the boy to stay at the water.

In the end, he settled on looming in the background. His presence seemed to drive most of others away. Only Harry stayed close and occasionally Draco. It was easier this way, he decided, because he never had to call out to the boys. When he decided to leave—nearly and hour and twenty minutes after they arrived—it was amazingly easy to convince his wards to go.

Harry came as soon as Snape said he was leaving. Draco pouted at first, but relented when Snape said he could fly again.

That night, the toddlers were subdued at dinner, obviously exhausted with the day's activities. Both were nearly falling asleep during their bath. It took less than half a book till both boys were snoring.

Needless to say, Snape looked forward to the boys aging… each moment bringing them closer to sixteen. He wondered what would come of their relationship. Draco liked him, for the most part, but it had become a formal relationship. He was Draco's head of house; it had been a long time since the boy had called him uncle. And Harry… the boy hated him. Would Harry still hate him? He was surprised by how worried he was by that thought.

He looked down at his boys. Harry was sucking his thumb, holding onto his owl and Draco clutched his dragon. They were so little and innocent…

Author's Note:

I know this took a while to update and I'm sorry about that. I don't have much time to write and when I get time, I work on F. Potion first. When I hit 100 reviews for chapter two, I could hardly postpone writing for this story any longer. So this chapter comes to you in the heart of dead week (the week before finals). I hope you enjoyed.


	4. Nursery School, Part 1

Chapter 4

Nursery School

xxxxx

_Snape suddenly found himself in a circle of Death Eaters. Instinctively, he dropped to his knees and bowed low. He didn't recall being summoned and he didn't know why he was there. In his kneeling position, his was only positive of one thing. He was not dressed properly. Instead of his usual black robes, he was clothed in silk pajamas of a horrible pale green color, complete with glistening silver cauldrons. Snape decided if he lived through the night, he'd kill Albus. The meddlesome old man was always buying him clothes at every gift giving opportunity— Snape swore there was no such thing as "Potion Master's Appreciation Week."_

_In the gravity of the situation, Snape did not contemplate how the pajamas had managed to clothe him. If he were able to think clearly, he might have recalled that he had gone to bed that night dressed in his usual dark grey bedclothes. At the moment, Snape was busy wishing that he had his mask—that he was somewhere in the back of the room—out of the Dark Lord's focus. Instead of receiving a painful punishment, Snape could listen attentively and then mill around afterwards, laughing with Lucius and some other childhood friends—long after the Dark Lord left. _

_With face almost touching the ground, he heard the Dark Lord approaching. Snape realized it was never supposed to be this way. When he joined the Dark Lord's cause, he expected to gain power—glory… Never in his wildest dreams had he imaged this fate, this humiliation._

_"Severussss," the evil lord hissed. The sound made Snape shiver and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Bracing for something painful, Snape was rather shocked when the Dark Lord spoke again. "Severus!" the wizard shouted, stomping his foot in impatience. There was something different about the man's voice the second time he spoke—it sounded higher pitched. Snape didn't know if he dared to look up. "Severussss"—it was definite now, the Dark Lord was whining._

_Snape looked up. He was met with the most shocking sight. The Dark Lord—complete with his not-so-human, snake-like form—was looking back at him with a pint-sized body. Speechless, Snape stayed there for a while, gaping like a fish._

_"You look when I say!" the Dark Lord demanded, waving his wand for emphasis. Snape noticed the "wand" was nothing more than a toy much like the ones he had for Potter and Draco. Despite the toddler's creepy appearance, the Dark Lord's antics were funny. Snape held back a smirk._

_Somewhere off to the side, someone started snickering. Instantly, the Dark Lord turned on his heel and stomped off to the source of the noise. Snape watched the boy as he walked over to the ring of Death Eaters. As the Dark Lord neared them, the adults all seemed to shrink until they too were toddlers. _

"_You no laugh at Lord Voldemort!" the toddler yelled, smacking the Lucius-turned-toddler with his "wand."_

"_I sorry, master," Lucius wailed—in a manner not unlike Draco's._

"_That's enough," Snape heard himself saying, "Leave Lucius alone." Snape thought about how annoying it would be to have yet more toddlers and hoped someone else would take the Dark Lord or Lucius in—he didn't need more brats._

"_You not tell Lord Voldemort what to do," the boy shouted as he stomped back over to Snape. Raising his wand, the Dark Lord threatened to bring it smacking down against his shin._

_Out of nowhere, Harry appeared. "You leave Sev'vus 'lone," he demanded. The boy stepped between Snape and the Dark Lord's wand. Snape winced when Harry received what must have been a painful blow. He tried to reach out and stop his young ward, but Harry was too quick. The little raven-haired boy shoved the Dark Lord so hard, that the evil toddler was sent flying across the room._

_As soon as the Dark Lord hit the floor, he started wailing._

"_Potter, stay put," Snape ordered._

_The Potions Master walked over to his fallen lord and bent over to examine him. At first, toddler Voldemort had his fists wiping away tears in his eyes. But suddenly, the fists dropped, revealing the hate filled eyes._

_Snape gasped._

_Full of venom only the Dark Lord could possess, Voldemort declared, "I'm going to kill Harry Potter!" Voldemort's red eyes burned, they were so full of hate that it was almost overwhelming to stare at them. "And then, I'm going to kill you!"_

Snape woke with a start. The rush of adrenaline left his body tingling as he slowly became aware of the fact he had been dreaming. Rolling over to check the clock, Snape nearly gasped.

Teary green eyes were staring back at him.

Regaining composure, Snape sat up.

"Bad man," Harry cried. "Bad light." The small boy struggled to climb onto Snape's bed. Without thinking, Snape helped the boy up. "Bad light," Harry explained, pointing to his scar, "owie".

Snape inspected the boy's forehead. "Do you need a headache draught?" he asked.

"Where mummy an' daddy go?" Harry continued.

"Your mother and father?" Snape asked. "Potter, they—" How was he supposed to answer the boy? Was it even his place to explain? "Tell me about this light," he prompted, skirting the issue.

"Bad light," Harry repeated.

"You said that already," Snape replied, beginning to feel annoyed.

"Bad light get me," Harry shivered and tried to snuggle closer.

Sighing in frustration, Snape held the toddler back. Looking into Harry's eyes, he slipped easily into the boy's thoughts. At first, Snape felt disoriented as a wash of jumbled emotions encircled him. Picking out Harry's fear, Snape allowed those images to manifest.

_At first, Snape was shocked to find himself trapped in some sort of cage, but on closer inspection, he realized it was a cot. He'd never been in a toddler's memory before, but he recalled from his studies that the thoughts were extremely limited. Instead of being able to wander the memory freely, he was trapped in Potter's perspective. His line of sight rose, to where he was able to peak over the top of the cot's bars. He heard some garbled conversation—all he could make out was "get Harry."_

_Watching the door intently, Snape tried to separate himself from Potter's intense feeling of fear. Suddenly, the door opened and the woman—Lily Evans-turned-Potter—walked in. He felt an all-consuming sense of relief upon seeing the woman—it was as if his whole world was now complete. She was everything—safety, love, warmth, and comfort—she was mummy. _

_As he was embraced by her arms, Snape once again managed to separate himself from Potter's emotions—he was just there to observe. He couldn't hear or see anything until he felt his mummy's—no Lily's—body sway, as if pushed by some force._

_He was quickly deposited on the ground as Lily stood up and turned her back to him. Again, he was filled with the sense of dread. Something was not right—where was daddy? Past his mummy's—Lily's—legs, he saw the movement of black robes. He instantly recognized them as belonging to the "bad man." _

_Glued in place by fear, Snape was powerless as he watched Lily's body fall to the ground. Looking up at the "bad man," Snape watched the Dark Lord raise his wand—time seemed to slow as he saw the green light come out of the man's wand. Panicking, Snape pulled out of Harry's mind before the "bad light" could get him._

Back in reality, Snape took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind of all of Harry's thoughts. His grip holding Harry back loosened and he soon found himself enveloped by a sobbing toddler.

"Bad light get me," Harry cried.

"Yes, it did," Snape commented, feeling at a loss. "But you're okay now." Harry continued to sob, and so Snape found himself talking without thinking. "I won't let the light get you again, you're safe." Cursing fate, Snape yet again wondered why the headmaster forced the toddlers on him. He was not a comforting, sentimental man—he didn't know what to do with these young boys.

As he continued to ponder these thoughts, he unconsciously patted Harry's back. Slowly, the toddler's cries calmed down to sniffles, which were soon replaced with gentle snores.

After putting Harry back to bed, Snape tried to forget what he'd seen and felt in the boy's mind. He suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of protectiveness… he didn't want Harry to ever have to face that "bad light" again.

He was nearly asleep when Snape heard a set of footsteps. If it was Potter again, Snape was going to stick the boy in his cot. Big boy or not, the child would not be disturbing him more than once in the night. The little footsteps stopped beside his bed and Snape contemplated ignoring the noise—maybe the boy would go away.

"Sev'vus," a little voice whispered—definitely Draco.

Rolling over, Snape asked, "What do you want?"

"I hafta go potty."

Snape sighed. "You know where the bathroom is and I'm sure you can manage on your own."

"It's dark," Draco whined.

"It's dark in here, too," Snape muttered.

"I no wan' a werewolf get me."

_A valid concern_, Snape thought. _Lupin was residing somewhere in the castle after all._ Although, at the moment, Snape had to admit, they were safe. "It's not a full moon," he said. "And besides, what makes you think there's a werewolf in your bathroom?"

"Sev'vus, pleeeze," Draco pleaded, now dancing around out of desperation.

"Oh, all right," Snape snapped, climbing out of bed. "But you're in a nappy anyway." _Precisely why you're in a nappy_, the man thought; _so you could sleep through the night and leave me in peace._ Turning on the bathroom light, Snape said, "Now pee."

Folding his arms, Snape leaned against the wall and tightly closed his eyes. He was used to going nights without sleep—but that did not mean his head or his mood spared the consequences. When Draco sat down on the toilet, Snape had to hold back the urge to hit his head against the wall.

"This couldn't wait till morning?" Snape mumbled to himself, wondering if perhaps he could go to bed and leave the boy here. Surely, Draco could manage on his own now.

Finally, Draco said, "All done," and Snape was momentarily overjoyed (for Snape). His elation soon faded, however, when Draco added, "Help wipe."

"Er..." Snape sputtered.

xxxxx

It seemed as soon as he managed to get back to sleep, Snape was woken by his alarm. Grumbling, he pulled himself out of bed to take a quick shower. He was likely to be the only one awake so early, save the house elves, but he had a lot of work to do to ready his classroom.

After he was ready, Snape ventured into the toddler's bedroom, hoping to find a couple of three (or even better, sixteen) year old boys. To his dismay, the lumps under the bed seemed exactly the same way as when he had left them. One diagnostic charm later and it was confirmed, the boys were still only two and a half. Cursing under his breath, Snape racked his brain—there must be some other flaw with Neville's potion that he had overlooked.

Waking Draco first, Snape tackled one toddler at a time. The poor boy was half asleep as he stood in front of the toilet to pee. After he was dressed, Snape—feeling awkward—combed his hair. Trying to give his godson a modicum of dignity—in case he or others remembered their stint as toddlers—Snape worked on slicking Draco's hair back. During the process, Draco fell back asleep and Snape had a difficult time trying to comb the hair as the boy's head flopped from side to side.

Leaving his sleeping godson propped up on the couch, Snape went to wake Harry. He followed the same process as Draco, only Harry didn't pee. Therefore, Snape decided to dress the boy in a nappy instead of pants. There was no need for unnecessary accidents, and besides; he figured Harry wouldn't remember being told he could wear pants anyway.

However, he was wrong.

"Harry, big boy," he whined. "Harry wear pants."

Snape ignored the boy and continued to try and fasten the fresh nappy.

"No!" Harry cried, kicking and flailing his legs in a shocking display of defiance. The nappy ripped.

"Potter!" Snape snapped. "You are not wearing pants unless you pee in the toilet."

Sniffling, Harry got up and walked back over to the toilet.

Snape sighed; he didn't have time for this! He went back to the dresser and retrieved another nappy. When he returned, Potter was peeing into the toilet, the look of pure delight and pride on his face.

"Pants! Pants!" Harry exclaimed.

"Right," Snape drawled, as he got pants instead.

Snape managed to get Harry dressed without further complications. Looking at Harry's scruffy head, he decided to slick back the boy's hair like he had Draco's. After using an excessive amount of gel, Snape got almost every lock of hair firmly secured down.

Although right after Snape was done, Harry reached up to feel his hair. "Yucky," Harry cried, half panicked. He rubbed his gelled hand on his robes and then reached up to pull more of the gunk out of his hair. "Yucky, yucky," Harry bawled, "off."

"Potter, just leave your hair alone," Snape directed.

Harry wasn't listening, though, as he tried to get all the gel out of his hair.

"Stop, Harry." Snape took a hold of Harry's hands. The boy was all worked up now, gasping in breaths of air. "Hold still," Snape ordered, "I'll clean you up." Harry didn't hold still, so it took several charms to clean the boy up, but eventually, he was gel free. Snape hadn't really thought about it, but Harry usually had his free hand playing with his hair whilst he sucked his thumb. Sniffling from the trauma of the event, Harry pushed his way into Snape's arms. "Potter, you're fine."

Snape carried Harry out to the high chair. There wasn't really time for a proper breakfast, but Harry needed to drink his nutritive potion.

For the first time, Harry wrinkled his nose, obviously noticing the potion's gross taste.

"Drink it, Potter," Snape snapped.

Obediently, Harry drank, but from the look on his face, Snape knew the boy didn't like it.

Ignoring him, Snape went over to try and wake Draco again. He stood the toddler up and attempted to let go. His godson was usually a light sleeper, but if one tried to wake him at the wrong time—the task was nearly impossible. The little blond's hair was now sticking up at an odd angle on the right side of his head. Sighing, Snape cleaned the gel out of Draco's hair as well. After several more futile attempts, Snape gave up on waking the boy. He laid Draco back down on the couch so he could pull Harry out of the high chair.

Feeling something wet, Snape nearly dropped Potter on the ground. Just in time he noticed that, thankfully, Harry didn't smell like pee. Further investigation and Snape noticed that Harry's cup was now "hiding" in the corner of the highchair. Undoubtedly, the boy had tried to hide the potion rather than drink it.

"Potter," Snape snapped, the name sounding more like a curse. The boy was too dirty for cleaning charms and was in need of clean robes.

xxxxx

Over a half an hour late, Snape walked through the dark halls carting two toddlers. One arm contained a snoring Draco, while the other held a chatting Harry. For whatever reason, Potter must have felt more comfortable around the Potions Master, which meant more tantrums and more inane prattle—_and more headaches_.

Snape walked quickly. Once he dropped the toddlers off, he could rush to the classroom. If he started the cauldrons burning, there might be a chance they would be hot enough come the first class.

Reaching the Room of Requirement, Snape set Harry down so that he could open the door. The Potions Master never thought one room could hold so many different colors. The walls were painted with various fairytale characters that danced, hopped, and flew all over. There were bookshelves, small tables, climbing structures, and bins, all filled with countless frivolities. Even music was playing—something classical, but nonetheless childlike. All in all, the room caused a sensory overload and Snape was hesitant to enter.

Lupin was on the floor in a soft cushiony area of the room, filled with pillows and stuffed animals. Sleeping nearby him were his two young wards, Thomas and Longbottom.

Snape's lip turned up; he did not fancy having to see the werewolf at such an early hour. Perhaps he could toss the boys in and leave before Lupin even noticed him.

"Severus!" Lupin called, sounding overly cordial and chipper at the same time.

The wolf got to his feet and walked over to Snape, holding out his arms. At first, this confused the Potions Master and he nearly jerked away. But then, Snape noticed Lupin's attention was on Potter.

"Harry," Lupin said, motioning towards the boy as if wanting to hold him.

In response—to Snape's delight—Harry responded by burying his face and clinging on tighter. Snape also ignored the man as he walked past him. Skillfully, he managed to lower Draco onto a mat, carefully placing the boy's head on a pillow, all the while still holding onto Harry in his other hand.

Afterwards, he walked a few feet away and put Harry down next to a bin full of toys. It was a little difficult to break Harry's vice grip, but Snape managed. However, when the man stood and turned to walk away, Harry grabbed a bit of his robes.

"No, Potter," Snape said, trying to brush the boy off, "you're staying here." Snape fully intended on continuing out the door; he never planned to turn around and face the boy. But sometime around halfway across the room, when Snape still had a Potter clinging to his leg, he did turn around. Kneeling down to look Harry in the eye, he pulled the boy away and held him at arm's length. "Listen, Harry," Snape said quickly and somewhat quietly, "I need to go to class. You're going to stay here and play. I shall return later for you."

Before Snape could get up, the toddler cried, "Harry go to class."

"No, Harry, you're staying here."

"Harry be good," he continued. "Harry stay with Sev'vus."

The boy was sobbing now and Snape knew, no matter how much he talked, Harry wouldn't hear him. He picked Harry up, but not to comfort him. Instead, Snape walked across the room and handed the boy to Lupin. "I don't have time for this," he muttered. And then just as quickly, Snape left the room.

xxxxx

Remus stood, holding the son of James Potter, one of his best friends. He'd held Harry long ago, back when James and Lily were still alive. The baby loved him, back then; he was Harry's "Mooey." So now, holding Harry, who was busy kicking and screaming in order to get away, it hurt.

When he had heard that all of the Slytherin and Gryffindor sixth years had been deaged, to be honest, Remus was excited. He had naively hoped that Harry would remember him… that he'd be able to take in the boy and care for him like he'd wanted to do long ago. And now, Harry was struggling to get away, to get back to "Sev'vus." Remus tried to comfort the toddler, but Harry wasn't listening. Finally, he set the boy on the ground, to give Harry some space to relax on his own. Immediately, the toddler ran to the door.

For the next hour, Remus sat with three sleeping toddlers, while Harry screamed at the door. Finally, Mrs. Figg showed up with her two young wards. Within the next few minutes, an entourage of toddlers came, each being escorted by a tired looking caregiver. When they entered, every one of them stopped to kneel down and comfort Harry. Each time, Harry would explain that he was going to be a "good boy" and that he needed to get to "Sev'vus."

Other toddlers threw similar fits when they were dropped off, but a few silly faces and a shiny toy usually distracted them. As the toddler population increased, so too did the disarray. Remus and Mrs. Figg soon found themselves running all over the room.

When the seventh year Slytherin girls arrived with Blaise Zabini, things seemed to both calm down and become more chaotic at the same time. The four girls split up and found different cute little toddlers to coo over. Distracted, all the deaged children stopped to "chat" and show off for their audience.

It took a moment for Remus to notice that something was off. Catching sight of the still open doorway, Remus gasped, "Harry!" The boy was definitely not screaming at the door and a quick scan of the room did not reveal him. Quickly passing Neville off to Mrs. Figg (the boy had woken up disoriented and was feeling upset), Remus bolted to the exit. He made it through the door just in time to see tiny feet running around the corner. "Harry," Remus called, hoping that the boy would hear him and stop.

Harry did neither of those things and kept running as fast as he could. Remus was rather surprised to note that the boy was taking the exact route Snape must have traveled earlier that morning. Harry's little legs were no match for Remus' longer stride. Soon Remus caught the boy.

Harry cried out again for "Sev'vus" and kicked his legs trying to get away.

"Calm down, Harry," Remus said. Nothing would sooth Harry's resolve and Remus realized; _this is going to be a long day._

xxxxx

Harry—feeling angry, confused and most of all upset—stayed at the door crying. The cat woman, whom he recognized instantly, came bustling over. Crossing his arms, Harry shouted, "no," as he ran to an opposite corner. He remembered that the Dursleys often left him in her care, in that icky smelling house with all the icky kitty cats. He didn't want to be anywhere near her—just in case she took him back to his mean, yelling relatives.

Noticing the doorway was once again clear, Harry wandered over to it and stared up at the high doorknob. He intensified the gravity of his cries—if only his Sev'vus would come back. Harry vowed that he would be a good boy, a very very, very good boy, if Sev'vus came back for him.

A part of him knew that crying wouldn't make a difference. He remembered well that no matter how much he cried and begged, the Dursleys never let him out of the cupboard. But he wasn't ready to give up hope just yet. And so, Harry continued his vigil, watching over the door in case his Sev'vus came back.

"Harry."

Hearing his name, Harry looked up to the tall, skinny man that had called. He was mad at that man; he had caught him when he tried to find his Sev'vus. Realizing too late that the man was going to pick him up, Harry was unable to get away.

"What's wrong?" the skinny man asked in a soothing voice.

Harry took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Feeling up to explaining, in case the man decided to help, Harry said, "I go to Sev'vus."

"Severus is busy, Harry," the man explained. "You're going to play here while he teaches his classes."

"No," Harry stated, feeling even more frustrated, "Harry stay with Sev'vus." _Hadn't Sev'vus said I could stay with him?_ Harry thought. _What happened? Was I bad? _"Harry be a good boy," he said again. "I go to Sev'vus." His voice lost its demanding tone and was now a whispered plea. Harry felt the tears once again in his eyes; he was going to cry and wail and carry on until his Sev'vus came back. It worked for Duddy… why not for him?

The man sighed. "Harry, I know you want to go with Severus, but you have to stay here."

The tears broke free as Harry once again continued his anguished cries. "Sev'vus," he called, assuming the man must be near enough to hear him. He struggled in the skinny man's arms, hoping to go back to the door.

"There, there," the man said, patting his back. "Why don't you want to be with your ol' friend Moony?"

A small glimmer of recognition flashed in Harry's mind. A part of him remembered hearing that name before. But the realization didn't hold precedence over his much more important obsession. "Sev'vus," Harry called again. "Harry stay with Sev'vus."

"Harry, you need to go play," the man said more firmly. "You're not going to be crying by the door all day."

Harry was put down next to a bin full of toys. He feigned interest for a moment, waiting for the Moony man to go away. It didn't take too long before the man was chasing off after some other toddler. Harry took the opportunity to sneak back over to the door and continue his vigil. Sev'vus was bound to hear him… maybe… just maybe he'd come back. And Harry would be a very, very good boy and Sev'vus would keep him… Just maybe.

xxxxx

Draco woke up when someone sat on him. He rolled over and hit at the massive boy until the oaf got up. It was a rather shocking experience and the situation did not get better when Draco looked around and realized he had no idea where he was. He recognized some of the other toddlers, especially a bushy haired one who he remembered was "Mine'e."

Despite the crude awakening and the strange surroundings, Draco didn't panic. He took a moment to assess the situation; he was a Ma'foy after all. Near the door, Draco spotted Harry. He recognized the boy as belonging to him and Sev'vus, so he started his investigation with Harry.

Walking over to Harry, he tapped the boy on his shoulder. "Harry," he called. But his boy was too busy being sad and staring at the door. Knowing the solution, Draco reached out and wrapped his arms around Harry. The boy tried to pull away, but soon, Harry turned around and returned the hug. Pulling away, Draco asked the all-important question, "Where Sev'vus go?"

"Sev'vus go to cass," Harry cried. He turned back to the door and thrust his body at it, "Sev'vus!"

This startled Draco. He didn't know what "cass" was, but the way Harry was acting, it must have been someplace really bad. Biting his finger, Draco started to cry.

Looking over his shoulder, Harry shouted, "No!" and then ran off to the nearest corner. Confused, Draco tried to follow, but was scooped up into someone's arms.

"There, there," the man comforted, patting his back.

Draco liked this man. "Where Sev'vus go?" he asked between sniffles.

"Severus had to go to class," the nice man explained.

"Sev'vus come back?"

"Yes, of course."

Well, that sounded okay to Draco, although he hoped it wouldn't be too long until Sev'vus returned. He laid his head down on the nice man's shoulder and rubbed his eyes. He was still feeling sleepy and a little confused.

"Are you hungry?" the man asked.

Perking up, Draco looked around the room. He spotted the table full of plates and breakfast foods. "Yes," he answered, nodding enthusiastically. The man put him down in front of a plate of food and for the time being he was distracted. However, half-way though his meal, he looked up to realize that Harry was still scowling in the corner.

Filled with determination, Draco got up and walked over to him. "Come eat beakfast," he said. Harry just stared at him, breathing erratically because of the heavy crying. "You no throw fit," Draco scolded, pointing his finger. "You come eat beakfast or no beakfast an' you hungry." Harry's eyes widened. _Yes_, Draco thought, _Harry knows. _Draco knew better than to throw a fit at meal times, especially ones in public, because the food could be taken away… or sometimes there would be a smacking. But Draco didn't want to scare Harry too much.

Harry sucked his thumb while Draco led him over to the table of food. It didn't take long for Harry to finish everything on his plate. Draco smiled and patted Harry on the head. Harry weakly smiled back, but then turned towards the door.

"Sev'vus come back," Draco assured him. _Hopefully soon_, he thought.

xxxxx

Breakfast seemed to come and go all too fast. Remus was surprised by how tired he was and the day was really just beginning. He was also shocked to find that the most annoying of the toddlers had thus far been Harry. Remus was well aware that Harry'd gotten his stubbornness from James and his temper from Lily, but he never figured he have to suffer through both in quite an ear piercing way. It ate at Remus' heart to see Harry in such a state. He knew this wasn't like the boy; something about Harry had changed dramatically between the baby and the toddler. Harry seemed so desperate, begging to be returned to Snape. _And for what?_ Remus thought in anger. Perhaps Snape was giving Harry acceptable care, but what the little boy really needed was love. _Could Snape really give it?_

Remus was dragged out of his thoughts when someone pulled on his robes. "Read," Hermione said, thrusting a book into his hand. Remus sighed; he really didn't have time to ponder Harry. There were fifteen toddlers to care for… hopefully they'd all be alive come the end of the day.

Author's Note: So this is the first half of the day. I had planned on waiting till I got the whole day done before posting, but, thanks to my beta, you get an earlier update.


	5. Nursery School, Part 2

Nursery School Part 2:

Snape stalked up and down the rows of desks. The third year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws had lost more points in this class alone than they had all year thus far.

"McFallert," he snapped. The boy's trembling hands dropped the chopped liverwort, scattering it all over his workstation. Snape's glare deepened, "10 points from Ravenclaw, for sloppy preparation. The ingredients clearly state finely chopped. Does your liverwort look finely chopped?"

"I-I, erm," the boy stuttered, trying to push his mess into a pile.

Snape flicked his wand and banished the mess. "Do you need a detention as well?"

"N-no."

"Then get another liverwort," Snape snapped, "and chop it properly!" The boy quickly scrambled to do as he was told. Satisfied, Snape moved onto the next hapless student. He was not going to allow any potions disasters, not again. Not for a moment would he relax his tired body. Nor would he contemplate his young wards... _how Draco handled waking up in a strange environment... or if Harry ever stopped crying..._

"Whitsett!" he shouted, stalking down to the front of the room.

xxxxx

"I'm gonna get you," Remus taunted.

"Ahhhh," screamed a chorus of toddlers as they scattered across the room.

"Rrraaahhhh," Remus growled, grabbing Dean, the closest victim. He started to tickle the helpless boy who giggled like mad.

A group of toddlers, lead by Pansy, followed closely by Hermione, Draco, Parvati and Blaise, attempted to ambush Remus and help their comrade escape. At the last moment, Remus let Dean go and turned to the others. The last to notice the development, Parvati, was captured herself and tickled.

"Remus," Mrs. Figg called, "you're riling them all up."

Distracted by Mrs. Figg, Remus didn't notice the toddlers second advance until it was too late. Both Draco and Hermione simultaneously launched themselves at his back. He fell forward, carefully rolling to the side so as not to squish Parvati. More toddlers landed on him, successfully pinning him to the ground.

"Help," he called.

Other toddlers came out of their safe hiding areas to help pile on or to tickle Remus' sides. Laughing uncontrollably, Remus tried to struggle his way free, but at the same time he was careful not to inadvertently hurt one of the toddlers._ At least all the toddlers are happy and occupied_, he thought. Even Harry was helping tickle. Remus knew any sort of mischievous activity and the boy would get the famous Potter glint in his eyes.

Around midmorning, Harry had stopped his constant crying and nearly abandoned his vigil at the door. His distraction had been thanks to painting, an activity that seemed like a good idea at the time. The room and the toddlers were nearly clean. So as long as Remus was able to keep everyone busy, they were all happy (for the most part), not killing each other, and a semi chaos (instead of utter chaos) was maintained.

"Papa Albus!" half the toddlers called.

Remus blushed as he noticed the headmaster enter the room. He knew his hair and robes were disheveled--not to mention he was sure there were some tiny purple and green hand prints on his face, back, and sleeves that he had yet to banish. Added to the fact, he was sprawled gracelessly about the floor with various toddlers pinning him down.

"Lunch will be here shortly," Albus announced cordially. "Until then, who would like to hear a story?"

"Me!" replied the children as they all made their way to sit at the man's feet.

Remus was glad the headmaster had come. He gratefully took a moment to stand and fix his robes, having a few toddler-free moments. It was only lunch time and he was already exhausted.

"Nap time is after lunch," Mrs. Figg said in a hushed whisper, adding a knowing wink. They could both use a break for a while.

Remus was unaware he was being followed until he smelled the acid scent of urine. Looking behind him, he noticed Harry staring down at his wetted feet, a look of terror on the little boy's face. His fear quickly dissolved into tears as he tried to take a few bow-legged steps forward.

"Oh, Harry," Remus consoled, "it's just an accident."

"Wet!" Harry cried. "Yucky."

"Let's get you cleaned up," Remus responded. He hadn't really been paying much attention to the toddler's bathroom needs. Occasionally, he'd noticed Mrs. Figg shuffle the children off to "go potty" or discretely take one aside for a nappy change. But now that he thought about it, Harry had been avoiding Mrs. Figg as if she were the plague.

Quickly, he banished the mess off the floor and Harry's robes, but to be truly clean, Harry needed fresh clothing. Walking Harry over to the toddler bathroom, he fetched clean robes out of a conveniently supplied extra clothes bin.

"Harry," Remus said, kneeling down to strip the boy of his soiled clothes, "are you sure you're potty trained?" Remus felt a little odd asking the question.

Harry stared back at him, his face looking a little blank, as if he didn't quite understand. The toddler bit his bottom lip. Still sniffling from the ordeal, he took a moment to respond. "Harry big boy," he replied quietly.

"Yes, Harry," Remus said, "you're a big boy. But do you wear nappies or pants?"

"Pants," Harry said, his eyes watering up. The boy looked like he was on the verge of another crying fit.

"Then where do you go potty?" Remus asked.

Harry shivered a little, his body being fully exposed to the cold. Remus, noticing the boy's thin frame, cringed inside. As a baby, Harry had always been on the light side, but never as malnourished looking as he was then.

"Pee in toilet," Harry suddenly announced. "Sev'vus say, pee in toilet."

"That's right," Remus smiled. Although still feeling a little hesitant, Remus dressed the boy in pants and then a fresh robe.

Harry's excitement quickly faded. "I want Sev'vus," the boy whispered. A few tears fell down his cheeks. "Harry be good boy."

"I know you're a good boy," Remus said. It was heart-breaking to see how distraught Harry was. The boy had always managed to put on a good show when he wanted something. Whether it was more time to cuddle with mum or an extra strawberry, Harry'd always managed to look so desolate.

"Severus will return when he's done teaching classes." Thankfully, Harry accepted Remus' words, and instead of fighting to get away, he leaned forward into the man's welcoming embrace. "I wish you'd give your old pal Mooney a chance," he said, patting the little boy's back. Harry relaxed in his arms, undoubtedly growing tired as well. As they walked back to the main room, Remus was glad to note that the table was set. Soon lunch would be over and they all could rest.

xxxxx

Even with five adults--Professor McGonagall and Madame Pomfrey had joined them--lunch had not gone so well. The children were getting increasingly tired. Pansy had glued herself to Minerva's leg and wouldn't sit long enough to eat, unless the woman stayed with her. Crabbe and Goyle had finished their plates and were busy trying to steal other toddlers' food, even when house elves had brought them seconds. Ronald had managed to fall off of the climbing structure, landing right on his nose. Currently, Poppy was taking care of a sobbing boy and his bloody nose.

By the time the playing area had been cleared and the mats laid out, more than half the toddlers were crying. Remus wished that Albus would just shout, "Silence," like he'd do to calm the Great Hall. Eventually, against all odds, the children where settled down on their individual mats, complete with a little pillow, blanket and their stuffed friend. In what seemed an incredibly short amount of time, most of the toddlers went fast to sleep. A few stragglers, Bulstrude, Lavender Brown, and of course Harry, were still fighting the pull of sleep. But at least they were all being quiet.

Discretely, Albus waved to Remus and Mrs. Figg, signaling that they could leave to take a break for a while. Remus wasn't half way to the door before Harry called after him.

"Mooey!" Harry cried. The boy stood up, clutching his owl, and started to follow after him.

Remus knelt down to talk to the boy face-to-face. "Listen, Harry," he comforted, "you need to take a nap. While you're sleeping, I'm going to go for a walk and get some fresh air. I'll come right back."

Harry dissolved into tears, "I go walk with Mooey."

"Harry–"

The boy's cries grew louder and more desperate, as Harry attempted to climb into Remus' arms. The toddlers nearest them began to stir. Remus looked towards Poppy and Minerva who were both biting their lips, waiting for chaos to insue. Remus pointed at Harry and then to the door and mouthed, "should I just take him?"

In response, the both nodded fervently.

"Harry," Remus said firmly, "if you're going to come with me, you need to stop this fit right now, do you understand?" Sniffling, Harry nodded against Remus' shoulder and quickly calmed down. "You're going to take a nap–" Harry grew tense. "–in my quarters. I'll stay with you, but you're getting over-tired."

"Kay," Harry replied.

As Remus made his way through the halls, he decided to take a small detour. He wished that Harry could remember him. It was sad to think about how the little boy had forgotten about him, his parents and Sirius. Remus shook his head; now was not the time to grieve. The little boy whose head was resting against his shoulder needed only to be reminded of happy times.

Stepping into Gryffindor Tower, Remus was glad that the castle was relatively empty. Most students were still in the Great Hall for lunch. He put Harry down on his four poster bed and opened up the boy's trunk. At first he started to riffle through the boy's things, but then grew concerned about protecting the boy's privacy. Toddler Harry could care less, as he gazed curiously over the edge of the bed, but sixteen-year-old Harry had always been a private boy.

Making up his mind, Remus drew out his wand and said, "_Accio _Harry's photo album." Remus was touched to note that the small book resided under the boy's pillow. Toddler Harry's eyes lit up at the floating book and kept an eye on it for the duration of their trip to Remus' quarters.

Going to his room, Remus sat down on his bed and leaned against his headboard. Positioning Harry comfortably in his lap, he opened the album.

"Harry!" the toddler shouted in excitement, pointing to his baby self.

"That's right," said Remus. "And who's that?" he ask, pointing to the red-haired witch who was holding the baby.

Harry chewed on his finger before pointing. "Mummy," he said reverently and then pointed to the figure next to her, "Daddy."

"That's right, Harry," Remus congratulated, "that's your Mum and Dad."

Harry's smile faded, "Where Mummy an' Daddy go?"

Remus sighed. He didn't think that the photos would lead to this type of questioning... but really what was I thinking. Deciding that perhaps the truth was the best, no matter how hard it was, Remus explained, "A bad wizard came and he killed them."

"Bad light," Harry added.

Remus paused, feeling a little startled that Harry remembered such a horrible thing for a little baby to see. "Yes, Harry, the bad wizard used an unforgivable curse that made a green light."

"Bad light get me," Harry said, pointing to himself.

"Yes, and it didn't hurt you. You lived and stopped the bad wizard. That's why you're called the Boy-Who-Lived."

Harry shook his head and pointed to his forehead, "owie."

Remus took a deep breath, regretting his earlier words. "Did the light hurt your head?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," Harry said seriously.

Remus bent over and kissed Harry's scar, "I'm sorry."

"All better," Harry replied. Using his little hand, Harry turned the page to look at more photographs. When he got to a photo of the Marauders, Harry easily picked out Remus. "Dats you," he said.

"Good job, Harry, that's me."

"Daddy," Harry picked out easily. Next his slobbery finger lingered over Sirius' head.

After a moment, Remus said, "That's Padfoot. You remember him?"

Harry perked up, "Pa'foot!"

"Your Godfather. Sometimes you called him Se'rus, for Sirius, but usually you said Padfoot." Skipping over Pettigrew, he pointed back towards James, "And your Daddy's special name was Prongs, do you remember that?"

"Pongs!"

"And then I was Mooney," he pointed to his younger self.

"Mooney," Harry repeated.

Remus smiled, "Good job Harry, you can say it correctly now. Do you remember why we had special names?"

"Woof, woof," Harry imitated, pointing towards Sirius.

Remus' hold tighten around the little boy; he was practically beaming. "That's right," he said, "Sirius could turn into a dog. Do you remember when your Daddy turned into Prongs?" Remus continued to tell Harry all about a day when James and Sirius had transfigured themselves and let Harry ride around on them (with Remus' assistance). And how angry Lily had gotten when she returned home to see the mess and one over-tired baby. After a short while, toddler Harry leaned back into the man's chest and fell asleep sucking his thumb.

For the next hour, Remus sat watching his best friend's son sleep. Harry looked so tiny, much too skinny, it tore at his heart. He'd wanted to adopt the little boy, a few months after Lily and James' death. It had taken him a while to get over the shock. He'd lost all his friends in a matter of days, Lily, James and Pettigrew–or so he thought. At the time, Sirius was worse than dead, when Remus thought he'd betrayed them. It was early January that he'd filed a request with the ministry for adoption rights. But _werewolves _had no such rights, according to the ministry. Then he went and pleaded with Dumbledore, who managed to convince him that leaving Harry with a family was best. And Remus had accepted the matter.

Brushing the fringe out of Harry's face, Remus barely managed to contain his anger. As a baby, Harry had never looked so insecure--in fact the boy had been beyond spoiled. He'd noticed a change in Harry during his third year, but he figured the boy had matured over the years. But to see such a profound difference between the baby Harry he knew and the toddler before him... Remus pulled his anger in. He'd save that for later, for a little _chat _with Dumbledore.

xxxxx

When Draco woke up after his nap, it was because he'd been sat on again. He'd thought for a moment he'd bite the stupid boy who had sat on him, because he remembered Pansy biting him and that was certainly effective. The Figg woman came and took the boy away, though, so Draco didn't get a chance.

He sat on his mat clutching his dragon, scowling at the room. He was tired of this strange place and all the noise. The funny man was gone, and so was Papa Albus. Only the fussy women remained. If he was told to go potty one more time... Draco rolled his eyes as he noticed Pansy strolling towards him. He wanted his space.

"Go 'way," he shouted.

"Hi, Dayco," she smiled.

"Go 'way!"

She walked onto his mat and looked ready to sit down. Draco had had enough. He stood up and shoved the girl with all his might. He was glad to note the "oof" sound of the mat as she landed hard. Then without another glance, he sauntered away to look for his Harry. He hadn't made it four steps before someone grabbed his arm.

"Draco Malfoy," the old lady scolded him. "You do not push." Draco held up his nose. Of course she'd say that, what with Pansy hanging off her leg as if she were mortally wounded.

"I sayed go 'way to her," Draco defended himself. It was a valid issue in his mind. After all, the girl had been bugging him all day.

The woman had other ideas. "That does not mean you can push," she said, leading him over to the corner chair. Draco started to struggle; he knew what the chair meant. "You will sit here and think about what you've done."

"No," Draco struggled, "Draco not naughty." Tears were threatening to fall as Draco grew desperate. He hated sitting in a naughty chair and he still couldn't find his Harry. What if Uncle Sev'vus had come and taken Harry, but forgotten Draco?

He tried to stand up just after she sat him down. "No you don't young man," she said as she sat him down again. She stayed there, too, arms crossed, as if to say no matter if he tried to get up again, she'd make him sit forever.

Draco did bawl then; everything was too much. "I wan' Sev'vus," he cried. "Where Harry go?" Draco decided, then and there, if he saw his Harry again, they'd make a break for it together. If Sev'vus did know how bad it was for them, surely the man wouldn't have left them, would he? Draco hugged his dragon tighter. Maybe he'd have to go alone.

xxxxx

Minerva stood, her arms folded, staring firmly down at Mr. Malfoy. She was determined to be strict with the boy. Perhaps with a little discipline as a toddler, he'd be a little less spoiled when he re-aged to a young man. His desperate pleas for Severus were getting harder to bear, though. He was just a little boy after all. And after he'd been punished, Miss Parkinson had wandered off to play, as though she'd been fine all along.

"Mr. Malfoy," she called, still maintaining her firm voice. Big gray eyes looked up at her. "I trust you'll keep your hands to yourself from now on."

He nodded, "Draco be good boy."

"All right then," she said, grasping Mr. Malfoy's hand, "let's take you to the potty shall we?" She was confused by the boy's scowl and ignored it. In any case, he followed her lead willingly. He'd only parted with his dragon after she'd solemnly sworn to give it right back. He quickly did his business, washed his hands, and then returned for his trusted companion. It was then that Minerva felt guilty; perhaps there was more to Draco that being Lucius' son...

xxxxx

When Harry returned to Nursery School with Mooney, he was a little more prepared. He was still really sad that Sev'vus wasn't there, but at least he had Mooney and his Draco would be there. And Harry was a patient boy, for the most part. He could wait for his Sev'vus to return, because Mooney had reassured him, again and again, that Sev'vus would be returning from teaching class.

Harry was a little put out when Mooney put him on the ground to play. He'd rather be patient and wait as the man carried him about the room. He didn't have much time to protest, though, as Draco came and gave him a hug. He noticed the boy was sniffling.

"Dayco?" Harry asked.

"Where Harry go?" Draco asked.

Harry felt a little guilty; he hadn't meant to leave Draco behind. "Mooney taked me to nap."

Draco nodded, seeming to accept the explanation. "We go find Sev'vus now," Draco said.

Harry's eyes grew wide, "Sev'vus come back." But now his conviction was fading, If Draco was worried, maybe he should be worried, too.

"Bubbles!" some of the other toddlers shouted.

Draco and Harry both turned to the sounds. Harry's eyes lit up in amazement. A shower of clear bubbles fell from the ceiling. He followed Draco as they went to investigate. These bubbles were amazing! Harry decided. He tried to catch one, but it popped, sending bits of wet all over his hands. He forgot all his worries over finding Sev'vus and was lost in the wonder of bubbles.

xxxxx

Severus' last class of the day was a free period. Usually during this time, he'd go through the student stores to make sure the ingredients were well-stocked. Often times he'd also begin to brew various salves and draughts that Madame Pomfrey used commonly. He also used the time to correct essays, draft test sheets, answer correspondence, and a number of other things that usually demanded his time. Instead, though, he was making his way to the Room of Requirement. He knew he'd probably be one of the first to pick up their brats. But Severus rationalized matters by convincing himself the added time would give the toddlers the opportunity to settle in before dinner, making the evening a lot more pleasant than if he waited another two hours. It was not because he was worried about them... no, Severus did not _worry_.

Entering the door to the Room of Requirement, he was surprised to find all the toddlers giggling and popping bubbles. He easily spotted both Draco and Harry, neither of whom where in duress. Severus had expected to see one or both sitting in a corner crying... or perhaps bleeding–-not that he worried. He momentarily contemplated stepping out of the room, letting the boys play, but Harry spotted him like a hawk.

"Sev'vus!" he shouted, in what could only be described as pure bliss. Somewhere on the journey between the bubbles and the door, Harry's joy turned to tears. "Harry be good boy," he sobbed. "I go class with Sev'vus."

Severus picked up the small boy. "Calm down," he directed, "I'm done teaching for the day." He awkwardly patted Harry's back and hoped the werewolf didn't notice him.

By now, Draco had spotted him as well and although the blond wasn't crying, he did seem less than pleased. "_Draco_ be'd good," he said, holding up his hands, no doubt wanting to be carried as well. "Harry throwed fit all day!" he tattled.

As Severus bent over to address Draco, Harry surprised him by kicking out at the blond boy. "No!" he shouted, and then clung tighter to the Potion Master's neck. "My Sev'vus."

For a moment, Severus stared at Draco, unbelieving, as the little boy clutched his forehead. "Harry James Potter," he scolded the boy in his arms, "you do not kick!" He smacked the boy's behind for emphasis, and then put him on the ground. He quickly scooped up Draco into his arms and examined the boy's head. A red mark was quickly forming and no doubt would bruise.

Draco, ever dramatic, screamed as though his skull had fractured and Harry was a ball of tears, screaming his sorrys and be-goods. Any chance of going unnoticed was gone. The entire room of toddlers were staring in rapture, the bubbles long forgotten.

Severus groaned. "Both of you stop your theatrics," he ordered. He briefly put Draco down in order to get Harry off the floor. He then picked up both still crying boys and started to haul them out the door.

"Owl! Owl!" Harry screamed, motioning to his stuffed friend he'd dropped on the floor. Begrudgingly, Severus turned and retrieved the damned thing.

At least by the time he'd neared the dungeons, both boys stopped their cries and settled for pitiful sniffling. The halls had been somewhat clear, as most students were still in class. Those few students unlucky enough to be in the halls were treated with the deadliest of glares. If anyone had been doing anything remotely questionable, they'd have likely gained a weeks worth of detention.

Finally, he made it to his quarters, sat down on the couch and relaxed his arms. Both boys scrambled to sit on their bit of lap, but neither dared lash out at the other. "Now, boys," Severus drawled, "what has possessed you to act like a couple of screaming banshees?" They both started whining about the other, pointing fingers and sticking out tongues. "It seems as though you both need a long nap," Severus interrupted. Both boys grew silent. After relishing a moment of peace, Severus pulled Draco away from him in order to get a better look at his forehead. It was bruising. "See what happens when you kick other's in the face," he said to Harry, making sure the boy could see what he did.

Harry gasped. "I sorry, Dayco," he said seriously. The boy leaned across Severus' lap and gave Draco's forehead a gentle kiss.

"No kick 'gain," Draco scolded.

Harry nodded. And then both boys gave each other a hug.

"You two are going to be really embarrassed when you re-age," Severus pointed out. "_Accio _bruise salve."

"Harry stay with Sev'vus?" he asked as he once again leaned against the man.

"Draco stay?" the blond added.

"Yes," Severus sighed, catching the salve, "you're both going to stay with me." He carefully smoothed the salve across Draco's hurt forehead. When he was done, he put the salve aside and then relaxed back into the couch. Both boys rearranged themselves, snuggling into their individual sides.

xxxxx

After the boys ate their snacks, they were sent off to play. Harry was still awfully clingy, but Severus had no intention of sitting around on the couch all day. He really should have taken his free period to work on planning, especially since he'd been occupied all weekend. His students were in dire need of a pop quiz. Not that he gave his students pop quizzes just to set them on edge–-although he'd never say anything to the contrary. If they expected a quiz at any moment, then they'd spend the appropriate amount of time studying each night. In fact, he was ready to double the number of pop quizzes just in case it could prevent another accident.

Severus was diligently writing such quizzes, but one very annoying toddler was distracting him. Since he'd told the boys to go play and to not leave their room, Harry of course was standing in the doorway. The boy had managed to look as pitiful as possible. And although Severus was not moved– in the slightest–it was still distracting. Besides, Draco kept shouting for Harry to come play.

Grumbling, Severus finally gave in and took his work to their room. He sat down at their toddler-sized table and maneuvered himself into one of their chairs. Harry, of course, was glued to his side, and Draco was soon to follow.

"Both of you are to play," he commanded in his firmest of tones. Neither of them moved or made any sign of having heard the man. "Otherwise," Severus continued, "I'll go back." He made a motion to gather his things and smirked when the toddlers scrambled.

Harry was the first to return. He carted with him a pile of paper and a box of the coloring sticks. Picking the chair closest to Severus, he sat down and started to color. Moments later, Draco sat down as well. More time passed and Harry started to hum. Draco hummed as well.

Severus clutched his quill, almost snapping it. "Boys," he warned. They grew more quiet, but he was sure they were still humming. At least it was semi-quiet, but that too was interrupted when the wards buzzed.

Someone was at the door.

"Don't you two move," he ordered the boys. He was half way to the door before he realized they were both following him... well, he could scold them later.

Opening the door, Severus was shocked to find the wolf Lupin standing there. He was slightly amused to note the man's frazzled composure, especially as he struggled to get Dean Thomas' finger out of his mouth. A quick glance at the hallway and Severus was relieved to note that Longbottom wasn't there.

"You've lost one of your toddlers," Severus sneered, making no movement to allow Lupin into his quarters.

"He's afraid of you," Lupin replied easily, finally setting Thomas down with a firm grip on the boy's arm.

"What do you want?" Severus snapped.

"To talk," Lupin said, "about Harry."

"I'm not trading. If you don't like Thomas, pester someone else."

"No, no–" Lupin waved him off. "Today he had an accident and when I changed him I noticed how skinny he was."

"Yes," Severus drawled, "I'm well aware he's undernourished. Now if you'll please just leave." Severus started to shut the door, but the infuriating wolf stopped him.

"Severus would you just stop being so... so–" Lupin stammered.

Severus raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Obviously, Harry's been abused... he was never like this before. With James and Lily–"

"I can hardly see why I should discuss this with you," Severus said casually. He was well aware Harry had been abused. He had every intention of taking up the appropriate action when the boy returned to his teenaged-self. There was little they could do at the moment.

"Oh, stop being so insufferable!" Lupin shouted. In his anger, the wolf's eyes gleamed a bit more dangerously and the sharpness of his canine teeth were more dramatic. Involuntarily, Severus took a step back. He'd hoped the little lump he'd stepped on was a stray piece of his long robes and not a toddler-sized foot. Lupin visibly restrained his temper, "Albus mentioned that if the toddlers weren't sixteen by Wednesday, he was going to start contacting parents and guardians." Remus took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "I told him my thoughts on Harry and he said that I was jumping to conclusions, that- that we don't know for sure the Dursleys–"

"Idiot!" Severus shouted, "of all the dim witted– Do Poppy and Minerva know?– I can't believe Dumbledore could be so stupid!" Severus shook his head and then glared at Lupin as if he were merely a representation of the headmaster himself. "Rest asured, Lupin, Harry is not now or ever going to be sent back to those muggles. Even if I have to tender my resignation and adopt the boy myself!"

Lupin stood there, dumfounded, with his mouth hanging open. Even under the circumstances, Severus found it amusing.

"Now, if that's everything," Severus said, once again in an even tone. He'd almost had the door shut before Lupin stopped him. "Oh, one more thing," Lupin said as he trust a book forward, "Harry really likes his photo album."

Severus scowled one last time for good measure and then finally managed to shut the door in the wolf's face. He turned around to see the toddlers looking up at him.

"That Mooney," Harry announced.

Severus turned up his lip, "Indeed." He thrust the photo album out towards the toddler. "Go entertain yourselves," he announced.

For the next hour, Severus got to listen to Harry as he showed the photos off to Draco. At least Harry was smart enough to not bring the blasted photos to show him. Or...

"Look, Sev'vus," Harry said, pulling on his robe sleeve, "dat's baby Harry. An –"

Severus groaned.

xxxxx

By the time eight o'clock rolled around, Severus was more than ready to put the boys to bed. In fact, he couldn't wait till tomorrow to cart them off to Nursery School. The little brats had found some supply of paints and had been secretly "decorating" the wall behind him. By now, Severus scolded himself, he should always be leery of silence.

"Boys," he called, "it's time for a bath." Draco and Harry came running with flushed cheeks.

Draco had finally managed to pry Harry from Severus' side and convinced the boy to try the climbing structure. For the remainder of the evening, they had climbed up one side and slid down the other. Over and over and over... never tiring of the activity.

Severus walked the boys into the bathroom, and even allowed Draco to chose what color of bubbles. Harry was still tentative, but this time there were blue bubbles and quacking toys, so his fear was ruled out by curiosity. He washed both boys fairly quickly... the sooner they were in bed, the better. He dragged Draco out first, since he'd been in first and wrapped him in a warm towel. Then he turned back for Harry, who was readily holding up his hands. As he wrapped Harry up in his towel, he noticed his godson was missing. He stared at the discarded towel momentarily, as if somehow the boy may have vanished on the spot.

"Draco," he called. A quiet giggling was his only response. "Draco come back here right now!"

More giggling.

Severus turned and glared towards Harry, daring the other boy to move. He left the bathroom in search of Draco. He found the blond menace hiding behind the rocking sofa. Draco squealed in delight and ran towards the sitting room. Severus hurried after him, "Draco, this isn't funny and I'm not playing."

Draco, meanwhile, continued to giggle. Out in the sitting room, the little boy had more obstacles to hide behind and was quite good at evading the Potions Master. And try as he might, Severus could not maintain his frustration. Draco was going to be really embarrassed when he re-aged. He finally outsmarted the boy, pretending to round the sofa, but then doubling back moments later. Draco screamed in mock terror, but came easily.

As he was heading back to the room, Severus caught sight of Harry with a similar mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Harry, don't you dare," he warned.

In turn, Harry giggled and took off towards the kitchen area. Severus, still carrying Draco under one arm, took after the boy. Both toddlers were laughing hysterically, especially after Severus nearly ran into the table. Eventually Harry was cornered, captured, and then carried back to the bathroom under the other arm.

"We're not doing that again," he said firmly, putting the boys down and then positioning himself in front of the doorway.

After dressing them both, Severus helped the boys brush their teeth and then allowed them to pick out one book each. He sat down on the rocking sofa, and then pulled the boys onto his lap. Each boy settled back to get comfortable. Harry held his owl close and started to suck his thumb and play with a lock of his hair. Draco held his dragon close and started to chew on his index finger. It took one and a half books before each of the boys were snoring quietly. Severus finished the last book and then rocked the boys a tiny bit longer... just in case. Gently, he tucked each boy into their own big boy toddler bed.

"Good night, boys," he said– even as he cursed himself for sentimentality.

xxxxx

Author's note: Sorry it's been so long since update. Been busy and all that (excuses, excuses...) Anyway, I'm hoping to begin updating more regularly from now on. But I don't give any promises as of now... Reviews are welcome. Thanks! BTW, sorry to anyone who suffered through the odd way the original format of this chapter... I fixed it.


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